diff --git a/web.el/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizer.java b/web.el/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizer.java
--- a/web.el/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizer.java
+++ b/web.el/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizer.java
@@ -157,6 +157,13 @@
             if (ELTokenId.DOT == elToken) {
                 return expression + ADDED_SUFFIX + spaces ;
             }
+
+            // for COLON - e.g. #{foo:
+            if (ELTokenId.COLON == elToken) {
+                return expression + ADDED_SUFFIX + ELTokenId.LPAREN.fixedText()
+                        + ELTokenId.RPAREN.fixedText() + spaces;
+            }
+
             // for operators
             if (ELTokenId.ELTokenCategories.OPERATORS.hasCategory(elToken)) {
                 return expression + spaces + ADDED_SUFFIX;
@@ -165,8 +172,13 @@
                 return expression + " " + spaces + ADDED_SUFFIX;
             }
         }
+
+        // for COLON - e.g. #{foo:foo
+        if (expression.contains(ELTokenId.COLON.fixedText())) {
+            return expression + ELTokenId.LPAREN.fixedText() + ELTokenId.RPAREN.fixedText() + spaces;
+        }
+
         return expression + spaces;
-
     }
 
     // package private for tests
diff --git a/web.el/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizerTest.java b/web.el/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizerTest.java
--- a/web.el/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizerTest.java
+++ b/web.el/test/unit/src/org/netbeans/modules/web/el/completion/ELSanitizerTest.java
@@ -157,6 +157,21 @@
     }
 
     @Test
+    public void testSanitizeFunctions() {
+        String sanitized = ELSanitizer.sanitize("#{foo:}");
+        assertEquals("#{foo:x()}", sanitized);
+
+        sanitized = ELSanitizer.sanitize("#{foo: ");
+        assertEquals("#{foo:x() }", sanitized);
+
+        sanitized = ELSanitizer.sanitize("#{foo:te");
+        assertEquals("#{foo:te()}", sanitized);
+
+        sanitized = ELSanitizer.sanitize("#{foo:te ");
+        assertEquals("#{foo:te() }", sanitized);
+    }
+
+    @Test
     public void testFindLastNonWhiteSpace() {
         assertEquals(2, ELSanitizer.findLastNonWhiteSpace("foo "));
         assertEquals(2, ELSanitizer.findLastNonWhiteSpace("foo     "));