diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/words.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/words.rs
index 6cb5562a70..b95a06f65c 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/words.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/strings/split/words.rs
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ fn split_words_helper(v: &Value, word_length: Option<usize>, span: Span, graphem
     // [^[:alpha:]\'] = do not match any uppercase or lowercase letters or apostrophes
     // [^\p{L}\'] = do not match any unicode uppercase or lowercase letters or apostrophes
     // Let's go with the unicode one in hopes that it works on more than just ascii characters
-    let regex_replace = Regex::new(r"[^\p{L}\']").expect("regular expression error");
+    let regex_replace = Regex::new(r"[^\p{L}\p{N}\']").expect("regular expression error");
     let v_span = v.span();
 
     match v {
@@ -422,4 +422,9 @@ mod test {
 
         test_examples(SubCommand {})
     }
+    #[test]
+    fn mixed_letter_number() {
+        let actual = nu!(r#"echo "a1 b2 c3" | split words | str join ','"#);
+        assert_eq!(actual.out, "a1,b2,c3");
+    }
 }