diff --git a/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.cpp.ref b/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.cpp.ref
--- a/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.cpp.ref
+++ b/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.cpp.ref
@@ -68,10 +68,13 @@
   }
   KConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum  *itemMouseAction[3];
   itemMouseAction[0] = new KConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum( currentGroup(), QStringLiteral( "right_mouse_action" ), mMouseAction[0], valuesMouseAction, EnumMouseAction::Decrypt );
+  itemMouseAction[0]->addValue(QStringLiteral( "CrashNBurn" ), QStringLiteral( "Crash and Burn" ));
   addItem( itemMouseAction[0], QStringLiteral( "MouseActionright" ) );
   itemMouseAction[1] = new KConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum( currentGroup(), QStringLiteral( "mid_mouse_action" ), mMouseAction[1], valuesMouseAction, EnumMouseAction::Encrypt );
+  itemMouseAction[1]->addValue(QStringLiteral( "CrashNBurn" ), QStringLiteral( "Crash and Burn" ));
   addItem( itemMouseAction[1], QStringLiteral( "MouseActionmid" ) );
   itemMouseAction[2] = new KConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum( currentGroup(), QStringLiteral( "left_mouse_action" ), mMouseAction[2], valuesMouseAction, EnumMouseAction::PumpNDump );
+  itemMouseAction[2]->addValue(QStringLiteral( "CrashNBurn" ), QStringLiteral( "Crash and Burn" ));
   addItem( itemMouseAction[2], QStringLiteral( "MouseActionleft" ) );
   KConfigSkeleton::ItemColor  *itemGrayColor[11];
   itemGrayColor[0] = new KConfigSkeleton::ItemColor( currentGroup(), QStringLiteral( "gray color #0" ), mGrayColor[0], 
diff --git a/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.kcfg b/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.kcfg
--- a/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.kcfg
+++ b/autotests/kconfig_compiler/test4.kcfg
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
       <choices>
         <choice name="Encrypt"/>
         <choice name="Decrypt"/>
-        <choice name="CrashNBurn"/>
+        <choice name="CrashNBurn" value="Crash and Burn"/>
         <choice name="PumpNDump"/>
       </choices>
       <default param="right">Decrypt</default>
diff --git a/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.h b/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.h
--- a/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.h
+++ b/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.h
@@ -778,11 +778,23 @@
         void writeConfig(KConfig *config) override;
 
         // Source compatibility with 4.x
+        // TODO KF6 remove
         typedef Choice Choice2;
         QList<Choice> choices2() const;
 
+        /**
+         * Returns the value for for the choice with the given name
+         */
+        QString valueForChoice(QString name) const;
+
+        /**
+         * Stores a choice value for name
+         */
+        void addValue(QString name, QString valueForChoice);
+
     private:
         QList<Choice> mChoices;
+        QHash<QString, QString> mValues;
     };
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.cpp b/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.cpp
--- a/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.cpp
+++ b/src/core/kcoreconfigskeleton.cpp
@@ -575,6 +575,21 @@
     mMax = v;
 }
 
+QString KCoreConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum::valueForChoice(QString name) const
+{
+    // TODO KF6 move value to ItemEnum::Choice and remove KCoreConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum::mValues
+    const auto inHash = mValues.value(name);
+    return !inHash.isEmpty() ? inHash : name;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Stores a choice value for name
+ */
+void KCoreConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum::addValue(QString name, QString value)
+{
+    mValues.insert(name, value);
+}
+
 KCoreConfigSkeleton::ItemEnum::ItemEnum(const QString &_group, const QString &_key,
                                         qint32 &reference,
                                         const QList<Choice> &choices,
@@ -594,7 +609,8 @@
         QString tmp = cg.readEntry(mKey, QString()).toLower();
         for (QList<Choice>::ConstIterator it = mChoices.constBegin();
                 it != mChoices.constEnd(); ++it, ++i) {
-            if ((*it).name.toLower() == tmp) {
+            QString choiceName = (*it).name;
+            if (valueForChoice(choiceName).toLower() == tmp) {
                 mReference = i;
                 break;
             }
@@ -615,7 +631,7 @@
         if ((mDefault == mReference) && !cg.hasDefault(mKey)) {
             cg.revertToDefault(mKey, writeFlags());
         } else if ((mReference >= 0) && (mReference < mChoices.count())) {
-            cg.writeEntry(mKey, mChoices[mReference].name, writeFlags());
+            cg.writeEntry(mKey, valueForChoice(mChoices.at(mReference).name), writeFlags());
         } else {
             cg.writeEntry(mKey, mReference, writeFlags());
         }
diff --git a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigCommonStructs.h b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigCommonStructs.h
--- a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigCommonStructs.h
+++ b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigCommonStructs.h
@@ -55,6 +55,12 @@
         QString label;
         QString toolTip;
         QString whatsThis;
+        QString val;
+
+        QString value() const
+        {
+            return val.isEmpty() ? name : val;
+        }
     };
     class Choices
     {
@@ -106,6 +112,7 @@
     Choices choices;
     QList<Signal> signalList;
     QStringList paramValues;
+    QHash<QString, QString> paramEnumValues;
     QStringList paramDefaultValues;
     int paramMax;
     bool hidden;
diff --git a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigSourceGenerator.cpp b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigSourceGenerator.cpp
--- a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigSourceGenerator.cpp
+++ b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigSourceGenerator.cpp
@@ -352,6 +352,10 @@
         stream() << "  " << itemVarStr << " = "
             << newItem(entry, paramString(key, entry, i), defaultStr, cfg(), QStringLiteral("[%1]").arg(i)) << '\n';
 
+        for (QHash<QString, QString>::const_iterator it = entry->paramEnumValues.cbegin(), end = entry->paramEnumValues.cend(); it != end; ++it) {
+            stream() << "  " << itemVarStr << "->addValue(QStringLiteral( \"" << it.key() << "\" ), QStringLiteral( \"" << it.value() << "\" ));\n";
+        }
+
         if (cfg().setUserTexts) {
             stream() << userTextsFunctions(entry, cfg(), itemVarStr, entry->paramName);
         }
diff --git a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigXmlParser.cpp b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigXmlParser.cpp
--- a/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigXmlParser.cpp
+++ b/src/kconfig_compiler/KConfigXmlParser.cpp
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@
 
 bool KConfigXmlParser::hasDefaultCode(CfgEntry &readEntry, const QDomElement &element)
 {
+    Q_UNUSED(readEntry)
     for (QDomElement e = element.firstChildElement(); !e.isNull(); e = e.nextSiblingElement()) {
         if (e.attribute(QStringLiteral("param")).isEmpty()) {
             if (e.attribute(QStringLiteral("code")) == QLatin1String("true")) {
@@ -186,19 +187,23 @@
     return false;
 }
 
-
 void KConfigXmlParser::readChoicesFromEntry(CfgEntry &readEntry, const QDomElement &e)
 {
     QList<CfgEntry::Choice> chlist;
+    const QRegularExpression choiceNameRegex = QRegularExpression(QStringLiteral("\\w+"));
+
     for (QDomElement e2 = e.firstChildElement(); !e2.isNull(); e2 = e2.nextSiblingElement()) {
         if (e2.tagName() != QLatin1String("choice")) {
             continue;
         }
         CfgEntry::Choice choice;
         choice.name = e2.attribute(QStringLiteral("name"));
         if (choice.name.isEmpty()) {
             std::cerr << "Tag <choice> requires attribute 'name'." << std::endl;
+        } else if (!choiceNameRegex.match(choice.name).hasMatch()) {
+            std::cerr << "Tag <choice> attribute 'name' must be compatible with Enum naming. name was '" << qPrintable(choice.name) << "'. You can use attribute 'value' to pass any string as the choice value." << std::endl;
         }
+        choice.val = e2.attribute(QStringLiteral("value"));
         for (QDomElement e3 = e2.firstChildElement(); !e3.isNull(); e3 = e3.nextSiblingElement()) {
             if (e3.tagName() == QLatin1String("label")) {
                 choice.label = e3.text();
@@ -220,6 +225,13 @@
     QString prefix = e.attribute(QStringLiteral("prefix"));
 
     readEntry.choices = CfgEntry::Choices(chlist, name, prefix);
+
+    // handle set custom "value" field
+    for (const CfgEntry::Choice &choice : chlist) {
+        if (!choice.val.isEmpty()) {
+            readEntry.paramEnumValues.insert(choice.name, choice.val);
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 void KConfigXmlParser::readGroupElements(CfgEntry &readEntry, const QDomElement &element)
@@ -427,6 +439,7 @@
         result->paramType = readEntry.paramType;
         result->paramValues = readEntry.paramValues;
         result->paramDefaultValues = readEntry.paramDefaultValues;
+        result->paramEnumValues = readEntry.paramEnumValues;
         result->paramMax = readEntry.paramMax;
     }
     result->min = readEntry.min;
diff --git a/src/kconfig_compiler/README.dox b/src/kconfig_compiler/README.dox
--- a/src/kconfig_compiler/README.dox
+++ b/src/kconfig_compiler/README.dox
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@
 <entry name="KeepData" type="Enum">
   <choices>
     <choice name="Do">
-    <choice name="Dont">
+    <choice name="Dont" value="Don't">
   </choices>
 </entry>
 \endverbatim
@@ -369,6 +369,9 @@
     };
 \endverbatim
 
+Since 5.68, if present the <b>value</b> attribute will be used used as the choice value written to the backend 
+instead of the <b>name</b>, allowing to write text incompatible with enum naming.
+
 Alternatively, if <b>GlobalEnums</b> is set to true, all Enum items are defined as
 unnamed enums in the global scope of the generated class. In this case, all Enum values
 must have different names to avoid clashes. However, you can use a 'prefix' argument
@@ -380,7 +383,7 @@
 <entry name="KeepData" type="Enum">
   <choices prefix="Keep_">
     <choice name="Do">
-    <choice name="Dont">
+    <choice name="Dont" value="Don't">
   </choices>
 </entry>
 \endverbatim
diff --git a/src/kconfig_compiler/kcfg.xsd b/src/kconfig_compiler/kcfg.xsd
--- a/src/kconfig_compiler/kcfg.xsd
+++ b/src/kconfig_compiler/kcfg.xsd
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@
                                                                 <xsd:element minOccurs="0" name="tooltip" type="kcfg:translatableString"/>
                                                             </xsd:all>
                                                             <xsd:attribute name="name" use="required" type="xsd:string"/>
+                                                            <xsd:attribute name="value" use="optional" type="xsd:string"/>
                                                         </xsd:complexType>
                                                     </xsd:element>
                                                 </xsd:sequence>