The size of spaces changes after cut-and-paste

I am making a simple document in Microsoft Office Word 2007. The document
contains sentences, under which are letters that are aligned with specific
words in the sentence above. However, every time I cut and paste this
document to a new page, the spacing has changed, and the letters are in
completely different spots.

I have ensured that both pages have the exact same layout. I have ensured
that the text has the same "kern." I have also turned on the formatting
marks to see if that helps, to no avail. In fact, after cutting and
pasting, I can use the formatting marks to see that the exact same number of
spaces exists in the original and the pasted document. The only difference?
The spaces in the new document are much closer together, but I have no idea
why.

Why on earth is this happening and how do I get it to stop? This is driving
me bonkers.