diff --git a/news/288.bugfix b/news/288.bugfix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a88b713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/288.bugfix
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+getVocabulary: Fix for terms with incomplete HTML
diff --git a/plone/app/content/browser/vocabulary.py b/plone/app/content/browser/vocabulary.py
index 7419e80c..8611163b 100644
--- a/plone/app/content/browser/vocabulary.py
+++ b/plone/app/content/browser/vocabulary.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 from Products.Five import BrowserView
 from Products.MimetypesRegistry.MimeTypeItem import guess_icon_path
 from Products.MimetypesRegistry.MimeTypeItem import PREFIX
+from Products.PortalTransforms.transforms.safe_html import hasScript
 from Products.PortalTransforms.transforms.safe_html import SafeHTML
 from types import FunctionType
 from z3c.form.interfaces import IAddForm
@@ -128,6 +129,12 @@ def get_translated_ignored(self):
     def get_base_path(self, context):
         return get_navigation_root(context)
 
+    def maybe_scrub(self, value):
+        if value and (hasScript(value) or "<" in value):
+            transform = SafeHTML()
+            return transform.scrub_html(value)
+        return value
+
     def __call__(self):
         """
         Accepts GET parameters of:
@@ -210,7 +217,6 @@ def __call__(self):
             attributes = attributes.split(",")
 
         translate_ignored = self.get_translated_ignored()
-        transform = SafeHTML()
         if attributes:
             base_path = self.get_base_path(context)
             sm = getSecurityManager()
@@ -261,8 +267,10 @@ def __call__(self):
         else:
             items = [
                 {
-                    "id": item.value,
-                    "text": (item.title if item.title else ""),
+                    "id": unescape(self.maybe_scrub(item.value)),
+                    "text": (
+                        unescape(self.maybe_scrub(item.title)) if item.title else ""
+                    ),
                 }
                 for item in results
             ]
@@ -270,9 +278,7 @@ def __call__(self):
         if total == 0:
             total = len(items)
 
-        return unescape(
-            transform.scrub_html(json_dumps({"results": items, "total": total}))
-        )
+        return json_dumps({"results": items, "total": total})
 
     def parsed_query(
         self,
diff --git a/plone/app/content/tests/test_widgets.py b/plone/app/content/tests/test_widgets.py
index 95e662dd..88469c13 100644
--- a/plone/app/content/tests/test_widgets.py
+++ b/plone/app/content/tests/test_widgets.py
@@ -680,6 +680,24 @@ def testGetMimeIcon(self):
             [{"getMimeIcon": "/plone/++resource++mimetype.icons/unknown.png"}],
         )
 
+    def testScrubHtml(self):
+        from zope.schema.vocabulary import SimpleTerm
+        from zope.schema.vocabulary import SimpleVocabulary
+
+        view = VocabularyView(self.portal, self.request)
+        vocab = SimpleVocabulary(
+            [
+                SimpleTerm(
+                    token=f"term {idx} <b>",
+                    value=f"term {idx} <b>",
+                    title=f"term {idx} <b>",
+                )
+                for idx in range(3)
+            ]
+        )
+        with mock.patch.object(view, "get_vocabulary", return_value=vocab):
+            json.loads(view())
+
 
 class FunctionalBrowserTest(unittest.TestCase):
     layer = PLONE_APP_CONTENT_DX_FUNCTIONAL_TESTING