diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/macro.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/macro.c
index 82dfeed13..9ab89b104 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/macro.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/sh/macro.c
@@ -2118,7 +2118,7 @@ static void comsubst(Mac_t *mp,register Shnode_t* t, int type)
 			}
 			sfputc(stkp,c);
 		}
-		sfputc(stkp,' '); /* rhbz#982142: a=`some_alias` leaked memory, a=`some_alias ` did not! TODO: non-hack fix */
+		sfputc(stkp,'\n');  /* a=`some_alias` leaked memory, a=`some_alias<LF>` did not! TODO: non-hack fix */
 		c = stktell(stkp);
 		str=stkfreeze(stkp,1);
 		/* disable verbose and don't save in history file */
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
index 1f941e42a..450f44fa7 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/subshell.sh
@@ -950,5 +950,15 @@ v=main
 (v=sub; (d=${ v=shared; }; [[ $v == shared ]]) ) || err_exit "shared comsub in nested subshell wrongly scoped (2)"
 [[ $v == main ]] || err_exit "shared comsub leaks out of subshell (7)"
 
+# ======
+# After the memory leak patch for rhbz#982142, this minor regression was introduced:
+# if a backtick command substitution expanded an alias, an extra space was inserted.
+exp='word'
+alias a='print -n wo\'
+got=$(eval 'echo "`a`rd"')
+unalias a
+[[ $got == "$exp" ]] || err_exit 'backtick comsub with alias:' \
+	"expected $(printf %q "$exp"), got $(printf %q "$got")"
+
 # ======
 exit $((Errors<125?Errors:125))