diff --git a/docs/docs.md b/docs/docs.md
index d9314b0..55d7a4b 100644
--- a/docs/docs.md
+++ b/docs/docs.md
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@ You may use long, descriptive arguments or the shorter arguments.
 `-nrw, --no-relative-width`
 :   Disable relative input width
 
+`-ix, --print-index`
+:   Print index instead of actual text
+
+`-nix, --no-print-index`
+:   Don't print index instead of actual text
+
 `-f, --fast`
 :   Grabs keyboard before reading stdin
 
diff --git a/docs/example.Xresources b/docs/example.Xresources
index 539a068..6626af6 100644
--- a/docs/example.Xresources
+++ b/docs/example.Xresources
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ spmenu.dockproperty:        1
 spmenu.fast:                0
 spmenu.managed:             0
 spmenu.mon:                 -1
+spmenu.printindex:          0
 spmenu.coloritems:          1
 spmenu.sgr:                 1
 
diff --git a/docs/spmenu.conf b/docs/spmenu.conf
index 8d0436c..fc21e7c 100644
--- a/docs/spmenu.conf
+++ b/docs/spmenu.conf
@@ -199,6 +199,10 @@ spmenu = {
               password = 0; // Don't read standard input and replace all characters with the password character (0/1)
           } );
 
+  /* Output options */
+  output = ( { printindex = 0; // Print index instead of actual text (0/1)
+          } );
+
   /* Mode options */
   mode = ( { default = 0; // Mode to start spmenu in (0: Normal mode, 1: Insert mode)
              normal_text = "Normal"; // Normal mode text (text)
diff --git a/libs/arg.c b/libs/arg.c
index 8bfd66d..e718381 100644
--- a/libs/arg.c
+++ b/libs/arg.c
@@ -252,6 +252,14 @@ void backspace(Arg *arg) {
 void selectitem(Arg *arg) {
     char *selection;
 
+    // print index
+    if (printindex && sel && arg->i) {
+        fprintf(stdout, "%d\n", sel->index);
+        cleanup();
+        exit(0);
+    }
+
+    // selected item or input?
     if (sel && arg->i && !hideitem) {
         selection = sel->text;
     } else {
diff --git a/libs/argv.c b/libs/argv.c
index 278ce62..1e805ae 100644
--- a/libs/argv.c
+++ b/libs/argv.c
@@ -94,6 +94,10 @@ void readargs(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 		     fuzzy = 1;
         } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-NF") || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--no-fuzzy"))) {   // no fuzzy matching
 		     fuzzy = 0;
+        } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-ix") || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--print-index"))) {   // print index
+		     printindex = 1;
+        } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-nix") || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--no-print-index"))) {   // no print index
+		     printindex = 0;
         } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-s") || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--case-sensitive")) || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--sensitive"))) { // case-sensitive item matching
             casesensitive = 1;
         } else if (!strcmp(argv[i], "-ns") || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--case-insensitive")) || (!strcmp(argv[i], "--insensitive"))) { // case-insensitive item matching
@@ -448,6 +452,8 @@ void usage(void) {
           "spmenu -mc       --max-cache <size>                          Set max image cache size to <size>\n"
           "spmenu -rw,      --relative-width                            Enable relative input width\n"
           "spmenu -nrw,     --no-relative-width                         Disable relative input width\n"
+          "spmenu -ix,      --print-index                               Print index instead of actual text\n"
+          "spmenu -nix,     --no-print-index                            Don't print index instead of actual text\n"
           "spmenu -f,       --fast                                      Grabs keyboard before reading stdin\n"
 		  "spmenu -F,       --fuzzy                                     Enable fuzzy matching\n"
 		  "spmenu -NF,      --no-fuzzy                                  Disable fuzzy matching\n"
diff --git a/libs/conf/config.c b/libs/conf/config.c
index d712e99..688a7c9 100644
--- a/libs/conf/config.c
+++ b/libs/conf/config.c
@@ -400,6 +400,17 @@ void conf_init(void) {
         }
     }
 
+    // load options spmenu.output
+    config_setting_t *output_setting = config_lookup(&cfg, "spmenu.output");
+    if (output_setting != NULL) {
+        for (unsigned int i = 0; i < config_setting_length(output_setting); ++i) {
+            config_setting_t *conf = config_setting_get_elem(output_setting, i);
+
+            // look up
+            config_setting_lookup_int(conf, "printindex", &printindex); // spmenu.output.printindex
+        }
+    }
+
     // load options spmenu.mode
     config_setting_t *mode_setting = config_lookup(&cfg, "spmenu.mode");
     if (mode_setting != NULL) {
diff --git a/libs/stream.c b/libs/stream.c
index 6de24c3..25c912e 100644
--- a/libs/stream.c
+++ b/libs/stream.c
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ void readstdin(void) {
 			imax = i;
 		}
 
+        items[i].index = i;
+
         // parse image markup
         #if USEIMAGE
         if(!strncmp("IMG:", items[i].text, strlen("IMG:"))) {
diff --git a/libs/xresources.h b/libs/xresources.h
index a4ca613..e3019f1 100644
--- a/libs/xresources.h
+++ b/libs/xresources.h
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ ResourcePref resources[] = {
     { "managed",                     INTEGER, &managed },
     { "mon",                         INTEGER, &mon },
     { "sortmatches",                 INTEGER, &sortmatches },
+    { "printindex",                  INTEGER, &printindex },
     { "fuzzy",                       INTEGER, &fuzzy },
     { "pango_item",                  INTEGER, &pango_item },
     { "pango_prompt",                INTEGER, &pango_prompt },
diff --git a/options.h b/options.h
index e3d5a54..09f28ee 100644
--- a/options.h
+++ b/options.h
@@ -225,6 +225,7 @@ static int pango_mode                  = 0; /* Enable support for pango markup f
 static int pango_password              = 0; /* Enable support for pango markup for the password text */
 
 /* Misc */
-static int coloritems                  = 1; /* Color items or not */
-static int sgr                         = 1; /* Support SGR sequences or not */
-static char *worddelimiters            = " "; /* Word delimiters used for keybinds that change words, " " is default. */
+static int printindex                  = 0; /* Print index instead of the text itself (0/1) */
+static int coloritems                  = 1; /* Color items (0/1) */
+static int sgr                         = 1; /* Support SGR sequences (0/1) */
+static char *worddelimiters            = " "; /* Word delimiters used for keybinds that change words, Space is default. */
diff --git a/spmenu.1 b/spmenu.1
index 21c19aa..ada2d1a 100644
--- a/spmenu.1
+++ b/spmenu.1
@@ -74,6 +74,12 @@ Enable relative input width
 \f[V]-nrw, --no-relative-width\f[R]
 Disable relative input width
 .TP
+\f[V]-ix, --print-index\f[R]
+Print index instead of actual text
+.TP
+\f[V]-nix, --no-print-index\f[R]
+Don\[cq]t print index instead of actual text
+.TP
 \f[V]-f, --fast\f[R]
 Grabs keyboard before reading stdin
 .TP
diff --git a/spmenu.c b/spmenu.c
index 2d7aebc..3b17ba4 100644
--- a/spmenu.c
+++ b/spmenu.c
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ struct item {
     char *ex;
 	struct item *left, *right;
     int hp;
+    int index;
 	double distance;
 };
 
diff --git a/spmenu.html b/spmenu.html
index 31170ed..dff1b87 100644
--- a/spmenu.html
+++ b/spmenu.html
@@ -223,6 +223,14 @@ Enable relative input width
 <dd>
 Disable relative input width
 </dd>
+<dt><code>-ix, --print-index</code></dt>
+<dd>
+Print index instead of actual text
+</dd>
+<dt><code>-nix, --no-print-index</code></dt>
+<dd>
+Don’t print index instead of actual text
+</dd>
 <dt><code>-f, --fast</code></dt>
 <dd>
 Grabs keyboard before reading stdin