Spotlight ignores the first character I type

Late 2014 MacBook Pro 15"

Mac OS 10.11.1

I activate Spotlight to launch apps. My keyboard shortcut is ⌃␠ (control-space). I activate Spotlight and type the first 2–3 letters of the app name, then hit 'return.' Now, I type a "S-A-F" for Safari, and Spotlight shows "A-F". Or I'll type "i-T" for iTunes and it shows "T-U".