diff --git a/res/css/_common.scss b/res/css/_common.scss
index 666129af34..0317e89d20 100644
--- a/res/css/_common.scss
+++ b/res/css/_common.scss
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 */
 
 @import "./_font-sizes.scss";
+@import "./_font-weights.scss";
 
 $hover-transition: 0.08s cubic-bezier(.46, .03, .52, .96); // quadratic
 
@@ -323,6 +324,7 @@ input[type=text]:focus, input[type=password]:focus, textarea:focus {
 
 .mx_Dialog_title {
     font-size: $font-22px;
+    font-weight: $font-semi-bold;
     line-height: $font-36px;
     color: $dialog-title-fg-color;
 }
@@ -348,8 +350,8 @@ input[type=text]:focus, input[type=password]:focus, textarea:focus {
     background-color: $dialog-close-fg-color;
     cursor: pointer;
     position: absolute;
-    top: 4px;
-    right: 0px;
+    top: 10px;
+    right: 0;
 }
 
 .mx_Dialog_content {
diff --git a/res/css/views/dialogs/_InviteDialog.scss b/res/css/views/dialogs/_InviteDialog.scss
index b9063f46b9..d8ff56663a 100644
--- a/res/css/views/dialogs/_InviteDialog.scss
+++ b/res/css/views/dialogs/_InviteDialog.scss
@@ -27,37 +27,29 @@ limitations under the License.
         padding-left: 8px;
         overflow-x: hidden;
         overflow-y: auto;
+        display: flex;
+        flex-wrap: wrap;
 
         .mx_InviteDialog_userTile {
+            margin: 6px 6px 0 0;
             display: inline-block;
-            float: left;
-            position: relative;
-            top: 7px;
+            min-width: max-content; // prevent manipulation by flexbox
         }
 
-        // Using a textarea for this element, to circumvent autofill
-        // Mostly copied from AddressPickerDialog
-        textarea,
-        textarea:focus {
-            height: 34px;
-            line-height: $font-34px;
+        // Mostly copied from AddressPickerDialog; overrides bunch of our default text input styles
+        > input[type="text"] {
+            margin: 6px 0 !important;
+            height: 24px;
+            line-height: $font-24px;
             font-size: $font-14px;
             padding-left: 12px;
-            margin: 0 !important;
             border: 0 !important;
             outline: 0 !important;
             resize: none;
-            overflow: hidden;
             box-sizing: border-box;
-            word-wrap: nowrap;
-
-            // Roughly fill about 2/5ths of the available space. This is to try and 'fill' the
-            // remaining space after a bunch of pills, but is a bit hacky. Ideally we'd have
-            // support for "fill remaining width", but traditional tricks don't work with what
-            // we're pushing into this "field". Flexbox just makes things worse. The theory is
-            // that users won't need more than about 2/5ths of the input to find the person
-            // they're looking for.
-            width: 40%;
+            min-width: 40%;
+            flex: 1 !important;
+            color: $primary-fg-color !important;
         }
     }
 
@@ -148,6 +140,10 @@ limitations under the License.
         }
     }
 
+    .mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_nameStack {
+        display: inline-block;
+    }
+
     .mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_name {
         font-weight: 600;
         font-size: $font-14px;
diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.js b/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.js
index fc3245aa18..99878569d3 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.js
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/InviteDialog.js
@@ -280,11 +280,17 @@ class DMRoomTile extends React.PureComponent {
             </span>
         );
 
+        const caption = this.props.member.isEmail
+            ? _t("Invite by email")
+            : this._highlightName(this.props.member.userId);
+
         return (
             <div className='mx_InviteDialog_roomTile' onClick={this._onClick}>
                 {stackedAvatar}
-                <span className='mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_name'>{this._highlightName(this.props.member.name)}</span>
-                <span className='mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_userId'>{this._highlightName(this.props.member.userId)}</span>
+                <span className="mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_nameStack">
+                    <div className='mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_name'>{this._highlightName(this.props.member.name)}</div>
+                    <div className='mx_InviteDialog_roomTile_userId'>{caption}</div>
+                </span>
                 {timestamp}
             </div>
         );
@@ -663,12 +669,21 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
     };
 
     _onKeyDown = (e) => {
-        // when the field is empty and the user hits backspace remove the right-most target
-        if (!e.target.value && !this.state.busy && this.state.targets.length > 0 && e.key === Key.BACKSPACE &&
-            !e.ctrlKey && !e.shiftKey && !e.metaKey
-        ) {
+        if (this.state.busy) return;
+        const value = e.target.value.trim();
+        const hasModifiers = e.ctrlKey || e.shiftKey || e.metaKey;
+        if (!value && this.state.targets.length > 0 && e.key === Key.BACKSPACE && !hasModifiers) {
+            // when the field is empty and the user hits backspace remove the right-most target
             e.preventDefault();
             this._removeMember(this.state.targets[this.state.targets.length - 1]);
+        } else if (value && e.key === Key.ENTER && !hasModifiers) {
+            // when the user hits enter with something in their field try to convert it
+            e.preventDefault();
+            this._convertFilter();
+        } else if (value && e.key === Key.SPACE && !hasModifiers && value.includes("@") && !value.includes(" ")) {
+            // when the user hits space and their input looks like an e-mail/MXID then try to convert it
+            e.preventDefault();
+            this._convertFilter();
         }
     };
 
@@ -811,6 +826,10 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
             filterText = ""; // clear the filter when the user accepts a suggestion
         }
         this.setState({targets, filterText});
+
+        if (this._editorRef && this._editorRef.current) {
+            this._editorRef.current.focus();
+        }
     };
 
     _removeMember = (member: Member) => {
@@ -820,6 +839,10 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
             targets.splice(idx, 1);
             this.setState({targets});
         }
+
+        if (this._editorRef && this._editorRef.current) {
+            this._editorRef.current.focus();
+        }
     };
 
     _onPaste = async (e) => {
@@ -829,7 +852,7 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
             return;
         }
 
-        // Prevent the text being pasted into the textarea
+        // Prevent the text being pasted into the input
         e.preventDefault();
 
         // Process it as a list of addresses to add instead
@@ -1024,8 +1047,8 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
             <DMUserTile member={t} onRemove={!this.state.busy && this._removeMember} key={t.userId} />
         ));
         const input = (
-            <textarea
-                rows={1}
+            <input
+                type="text"
                 onKeyDown={this._onKeyDown}
                 onChange={this._updateFilter}
                 value={this.state.filterText}
@@ -1033,6 +1056,7 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
                 onPaste={this._onPaste}
                 autoFocus={true}
                 disabled={this.state.busy}
+                autoComplete="off"
             />
         );
         return (
@@ -1103,7 +1127,7 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
 
             if (identityServersEnabled) {
                 helpText = _t(
-                    "Start a conversation with someone using their name, username (like <userId/>) or email address.",
+                    "Start a conversation with someone using their name, email address or username (like <userId/>).",
                     {},
                     {userId: () => {
                         return (
@@ -1158,7 +1182,7 @@ export default class InviteDialog extends React.PureComponent {
 
             if (identityServersEnabled) {
                 helpText = _t(
-                    "Invite someone using their name, username (like <userId/>), email address or " +
+                    "Invite someone using their name, email address, username (like <userId/>) or " +
                         "<a>share this room</a>.",
                     {},
                     {
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index d03affa83f..4e25dfbcac 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1724,6 +1724,7 @@
     "To continue, use Single Sign On to prove your identity.": "To continue, use Single Sign On to prove your identity.",
     "Confirm to continue": "Confirm to continue",
     "Click the button below to confirm your identity.": "Click the button below to confirm your identity.",
+    "Invite by email": "Invite by email",
     "Failed to invite the following users to chat: %(csvUsers)s": "Failed to invite the following users to chat: %(csvUsers)s",
     "We couldn't create your DM. Please check the users you want to invite and try again.": "We couldn't create your DM. Please check the users you want to invite and try again.",
     "Something went wrong trying to invite the users.": "Something went wrong trying to invite the users.",
@@ -1735,11 +1736,11 @@
     "May include members not in %(communityName)s": "May include members not in %(communityName)s",
     "Recently Direct Messaged": "Recently Direct Messaged",
     "Direct Messages": "Direct Messages",
-    "Start a conversation with someone using their name, username (like <userId/>) or email address.": "Start a conversation with someone using their name, username (like <userId/>) or email address.",
+    "Start a conversation with someone using their name, email address or username (like <userId/>).": "Start a conversation with someone using their name, email address or username (like <userId/>).",
     "Start a conversation with someone using their name or username (like <userId/>).": "Start a conversation with someone using their name or username (like <userId/>).",
     "This won't invite them to %(communityName)s. To invite someone to %(communityName)s, click <a>here</a>": "This won't invite them to %(communityName)s. To invite someone to %(communityName)s, click <a>here</a>",
     "Go": "Go",
-    "Invite someone using their name, username (like <userId/>), email address or <a>share this room</a>.": "Invite someone using their name, username (like <userId/>), email address or <a>share this room</a>.",
+    "Invite someone using their name, email address, username (like <userId/>) or <a>share this room</a>.": "Invite someone using their name, email address, username (like <userId/>) or <a>share this room</a>.",
     "Invite someone using their name, username (like <userId/>) or <a>share this room</a>.": "Invite someone using their name, username (like <userId/>) or <a>share this room</a>.",
     "a new master key signature": "a new master key signature",
     "a new cross-signing key signature": "a new cross-signing key signature",
diff --git a/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/create-room.js b/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/create-room.js
index e05edbc051..35b9d5879e 100644
--- a/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/create-room.js
+++ b/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/create-room.js
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ async function createDm(session, invitees) {
     const startChatButton = await dmsSublist.$(".mx_RoomSublist_auxButton");
     await startChatButton.click();
 
-    const inviteesEditor = await session.query('.mx_InviteDialog_editor textarea');
+    const inviteesEditor = await session.query('.mx_InviteDialog_editor input');
     for (const target of invitees) {
         await session.replaceInputText(inviteesEditor, target);
         await session.delay(1000); // give it a moment to figure out a suggestion
diff --git a/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/invite.js b/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/invite.js
index 75ebc61a88..07c9595fe2 100644
--- a/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/invite.js
+++ b/test/end-to-end-tests/src/usecases/invite.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ module.exports = async function invite(session, userId) {
     }
     const inviteButton = await session.query(".mx_MemberList_invite");
     await inviteButton.click();
-    const inviteTextArea = await session.query(".mx_InviteDialog_editor textarea");
+    const inviteTextArea = await session.query(".mx_InviteDialog_editor input");
     await inviteTextArea.type(userId);
     const selectUserItem = await session.query(".mx_InviteDialog_roomTile");
     await selectUserItem.click();