diff --git a/spacy/strings.pyx b/spacy/strings.pyx
index 0565b2a0a..64954503f 100644
--- a/spacy/strings.pyx
+++ b/spacy/strings.pyx
@@ -11,15 +11,11 @@ import srsly
 
 from .compat import basestring_
 from .symbols import IDS as SYMBOLS_BY_STR
-from . import symbols
+from .symbols import NAMES as SYMBOLS_BY_INT
 from .typedefs cimport hash_t
 from .errors import Errors
 from . import util
 
-SYMBOLS_BY_INT = {}
-for name in symbols.NAMES:
-    SYMBOLS_BY_INT[SYMBOLS_BY_STR[name]] = name
-print(SYMBOLS_BY_INT[6005])
 
 def get_string_id(key):
     """Get a string ID, handling the reserved symbols correctly. If the key is
@@ -120,8 +116,6 @@ cdef class StringStore:
             return u''
         elif string_or_id in SYMBOLS_BY_STR:
             return SYMBOLS_BY_STR[string_or_id]
-        elif string_or_id in SYMBOLS_BY_INT:
-            return SYMBOLS_BY_INT[string_or_id]
         cdef hash_t key
         if isinstance(string_or_id, unicode):
             key = hash_string(string_or_id)
@@ -129,6 +123,8 @@ cdef class StringStore:
         elif isinstance(string_or_id, bytes):
             key = hash_utf8(string_or_id, len(string_or_id))
             return key
+        elif string_or_id < len(SYMBOLS_BY_INT):
+            return SYMBOLS_BY_INT[string_or_id]
         else:
             key = string_or_id
             self.hits.insert(key)
@@ -185,14 +181,11 @@ cdef class StringStore:
         string (unicode): The string to check.
         RETURNS (bool): Whether the store contains the string.
         """
-        global SYMBOLS_BY_INT
         cdef hash_t key
         if isinstance(string, int) or isinstance(string, long):
             if string == 0:
                 return True
             key = string
-            if key in SYMBOLS_BY_INT:
-                return True
         elif len(string) == 0:
             return True
         elif string in SYMBOLS_BY_STR:
@@ -202,8 +195,11 @@ cdef class StringStore:
         else:
             string = string.encode('utf8')
             key = hash_utf8(string, len(string))
-        self.hits.insert(key)
-        return self._map.get(key) is not NULL
+        if key < len(SYMBOLS_BY_INT):
+            return True
+        else:
+            self.hits.insert(key)
+            return self._map.get(key) is not NULL
 
     def __iter__(self):
         """Iterate over the strings in the store, in order.