diff --git a/sphinxlint/checkers.py b/sphinxlint/checkers.py
index 5354606f6..4fe038c62 100644
--- a/sphinxlint/checkers.py
+++ b/sphinxlint/checkers.py
@@ -461,10 +461,12 @@ def check_block(block_lineno, block):
     yield from errors
 
 
+_DANGLING_HYPHEN_RE = re.compile(r".*[a-z]-$")
+
 @checker(".rst", rst_only=True)
 def check_dangling_hyphen(file, lines, options):
     """Check for lines ending in a hyphen."""
     for lno, line in enumerate(lines):
         stripped_line = line.rstrip("\n")
-        if re.match(r".*[a-z]-$", stripped_line):
+        if _DANGLING_HYPHEN_RE.match(stripped_line):
             yield lno + 1, f"Line ends with dangling hyphen"
diff --git a/sphinxlint/utils.py b/sphinxlint/utils.py
index f15465545..61a2ec75c 100644
--- a/sphinxlint/utils.py
+++ b/sphinxlint/utils.py
@@ -121,17 +121,22 @@ def looks_like_glued(match):
     return True
 
 
+_START_OF_COMMENT_BLOCK_RE = re.compile(r"^\s*\.\.$")
+_PRODUCTION_LIST_DIRECTIVE_RE = re.compile(r"^ *.. productionlist::")
+_COMMENT_RE = re.compile(r"^ *\.\. ")
+
+
 def is_multiline_non_rst_block(line):
     """Returns True if the next lines are an indented literal block."""
-    if re.match(r"^\s*\.\.$", line):  # it's the start of a comment block.
+    if _START_OF_COMMENT_BLOCK_RE.search(line):
         return True
     if rst.DIRECTIVES_CONTAINING_RST_RE.match(line):
         return False
     if rst.DIRECTIVES_CONTAINING_ARBITRARY_CONTENT_RE.match(line):
         return True
-    if re.match(r"^ *.. productionlist::", line):
+    if _PRODUCTION_LIST_DIRECTIVE_RE.search(line):
         return True
-    if re.match(r"^ *\.\. ", line) and type_of_explicit_markup(line) == "comment":
+    if _COMMENT_RE.search(line) and type_of_explicit_markup(line) == "comment":
         return True
     if line.endswith("::\n"):  # It's a literal block
         return True
@@ -164,7 +169,7 @@ def hide_non_rst_blocks(lines, hidden_block_cb=None):
             block_line_start = lineno
             assert not excluded_lines
             if (
-                re.match(r" *\.\. ", line)
+                _COMMENT_RE.search(line)
                 and type_of_explicit_markup(line) == "comment"
             ):
                 line = "\n"