diff --git a/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs b/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
index 2dbf9e189..7c4a778fe 100644
--- a/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
+++ b/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
@@ -851,8 +851,7 @@ dash = enDash <|> emDash
 
 enDash = try $ char '-' >> notFollowedBy (noneOf "0123456789") >> return EnDash
 
-emDash = try $ skipSpaces >> oneOfStrings ["---", "--"] >>
-               skipSpaces >> return EmDash
+emDash = oneOfStrings ["---", "--"] >> return EmDash
 
 whitespace = do
   sps <- many1 (oneOf spaceChars)
diff --git a/tests/testsuite.native b/tests/testsuite.native
index df1f87544..34d51df5d 100644
--- a/tests/testsuite.native
+++ b/tests/testsuite.native
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ Pandoc (Meta [Str "Pandoc",Space,Str "Test",Space,Str "Suite"] ["John MacFarlane
 , Para [Quoted SingleQuote [Str "Oak,"],Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "elm,"],Space,Str "and",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "beech"],Space,Str "are",Space,Str "names",Space,Str "of",Space,Str "trees",Str ".",Space,Str "So",Space,Str "is",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "pine",Str "."]]
 , Para [Quoted SingleQuote [Str "He",Space,Str "said,",Space,Quoted DoubleQuote [Str "I",Space,Str "want",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "go",Str "."]],Space,Str "Were",Space,Str "you",Space,Str "alive",Space,Str "in",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "70",Apostrophe,Str "s?"]
 , Para [Str "Here",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "quoted",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Code "code"],Space,Str "and",Space,Str "a",Space,Quoted DoubleQuote [Link [Str "quoted",Space,Str "link"] ("http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2","")],Str "."]
-, Para [Str "Some",Space,Str "dashes:",Space,Str "one",EmDash,Str "two",EmDash,Str "three",EmDash,Str "four",EmDash,Str "five",Str "."]
+, Para [Str "Some",Space,Str "dashes:",Space,Str "one",EmDash,Str "two",Space,EmDash,Space,Str "three",EmDash,Str "four",Space,EmDash,Space,Str "five",Str "."]
 , Para [Str "Dashes",Space,Str "between",Space,Str "numbers:",Space,Str "5",EnDash,Str "7,",Space,Str "255",EnDash,Str "66,",Space,Str "1987",EnDash,Str "1999",Str "."]
 , Para [Str "Ellipses",Ellipses,Str "and",Ellipses,Str "and",Ellipses,Str "."]
 , HorizontalRule
diff --git a/tests/writer.context b/tests/writer.context
index 79a778a2b..47298d340 100644
--- a/tests/writer.context
+++ b/tests/writer.context
@@ -616,7 +616,7 @@ is \quote{pine.}
 Here is some quoted \quote{\type{code}} and a
 \quotation{\useURL[3][http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2][][quoted link]\from[3]}.
 
-Some dashes: one---two---three---four---five.
+Some dashes: one---two --- three---four --- five.
 
 Dashes between numbers: 5--7, 255--66, 1987--1999.
 
diff --git a/tests/writer.docbook b/tests/writer.docbook
index 458f8a252..d4a48cb8b 100644
--- a/tests/writer.docbook
+++ b/tests/writer.docbook
@@ -829,7 +829,7 @@ These should not be escaped:  \$ \\ \&gt; \[ \{
       <quote><ulink url="http://example.com/?foo=1&amp;bar=2">quoted link</ulink></quote>.
     </para>
     <para>
-      Some dashes: one&#8212;two&#8212;three&#8212;four&#8212;five.
+      Some dashes: one&#8212;two &#8212; three&#8212;four &#8212; five.
     </para>
     <para>
       Dashes between numbers: 5&#8211;7, 255&#8211;66, 1987&#8211;1999.
diff --git a/tests/writer.html b/tests/writer.html
index 99819f990..e58023d6f 100644
--- a/tests/writer.html
+++ b/tests/writer.html
@@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ Blah
       >quoted link</a
       >&rdquo;.</p
     ><p
-    >Some dashes: one&mdash;two&mdash;three&mdash;four&mdash;five.</p
+    >Some dashes: one&mdash;two &mdash; three&mdash;four &mdash; five.</p
     ><p
     >Dashes between numbers: 5&ndash;7, 255&ndash;66, 1987&ndash;1999.</p
     ><p
diff --git a/tests/writer.latex b/tests/writer.latex
index 1a893672d..071aaf774 100644
--- a/tests/writer.latex
+++ b/tests/writer.latex
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ c\ensuremath{\sim}d.
 Here is some quoted `\verb!code!' and a
 ``\href{http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2}{quoted link}''.
 
-Some dashes: one---two---three---four---five.
+Some dashes: one---two --- three---four --- five.
 
 Dashes between numbers: 5--7, 255--66, 1987--1999.
 
diff --git a/tests/writer.man b/tests/writer.man
index 1ccb27ff7..1e429a2a6 100644
--- a/tests/writer.man
+++ b/tests/writer.man
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ unescaped spaces: a^b c^d, a~b c~d\.
 Here is some quoted `\f[B]code\f[]' and a
 \[lq]quoted link (http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2)\[rq]\.
 .PP
-Some dashes: one\[em]two\[em]three\[em]four\[em]five\.
+Some dashes: one\[em]two \[em] three\[em]four \[em] five\.
 .PP
 Dashes between numbers: 5\[en]7, 255\[en]66, 1987\[en]1999\.
 .PP
diff --git a/tests/writer.markdown b/tests/writer.markdown
index 2d8266cde..feab4e03c 100644
--- a/tests/writer.markdown
+++ b/tests/writer.markdown
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ unescaped spaces: a\^b c\^d, a\~b c\~d.
 Here is some quoted '`code`' and a
 "[quoted link](http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2)".
 
-Some dashes: one--two--three--four--five.
+Some dashes: one--two -- three--four -- five.
 
 Dashes between numbers: 5-7, 255-66, 1987-1999.
 
diff --git a/tests/writer.native b/tests/writer.native
index df1f87544..34d51df5d 100644
--- a/tests/writer.native
+++ b/tests/writer.native
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ Pandoc (Meta [Str "Pandoc",Space,Str "Test",Space,Str "Suite"] ["John MacFarlane
 , Para [Quoted SingleQuote [Str "Oak,"],Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "elm,"],Space,Str "and",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "beech"],Space,Str "are",Space,Str "names",Space,Str "of",Space,Str "trees",Str ".",Space,Str "So",Space,Str "is",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Str "pine",Str "."]]
 , Para [Quoted SingleQuote [Str "He",Space,Str "said,",Space,Quoted DoubleQuote [Str "I",Space,Str "want",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "go",Str "."]],Space,Str "Were",Space,Str "you",Space,Str "alive",Space,Str "in",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "70",Apostrophe,Str "s?"]
 , Para [Str "Here",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "quoted",Space,Quoted SingleQuote [Code "code"],Space,Str "and",Space,Str "a",Space,Quoted DoubleQuote [Link [Str "quoted",Space,Str "link"] ("http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2","")],Str "."]
-, Para [Str "Some",Space,Str "dashes:",Space,Str "one",EmDash,Str "two",EmDash,Str "three",EmDash,Str "four",EmDash,Str "five",Str "."]
+, Para [Str "Some",Space,Str "dashes:",Space,Str "one",EmDash,Str "two",Space,EmDash,Space,Str "three",EmDash,Str "four",Space,EmDash,Space,Str "five",Str "."]
 , Para [Str "Dashes",Space,Str "between",Space,Str "numbers:",Space,Str "5",EnDash,Str "7,",Space,Str "255",EnDash,Str "66,",Space,Str "1987",EnDash,Str "1999",Str "."]
 , Para [Str "Ellipses",Ellipses,Str "and",Ellipses,Str "and",Ellipses,Str "."]
 , HorizontalRule
diff --git a/tests/writer.rst b/tests/writer.rst
index d5c4d2617..3478b66ed 100644
--- a/tests/writer.rst
+++ b/tests/writer.rst
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ Smart quotes, ellipses, dashes
 Here is some quoted '``code``' and a
 "`quoted link <http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2>`_".
 
-Some dashes: one--two--three--four--five.
+Some dashes: one--two -- three--four -- five.
 
 Dashes between numbers: 5-7, 255-66, 1987-1999.
 
diff --git a/tests/writer.rtf b/tests/writer.rtf
index 603cfb4c8..1e6f9082a 100644
--- a/tests/writer.rtf
+++ b/tests/writer.rtf
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ emphasized link
 quoted link
 }}}
 \u8221".\par}
-{\pard \ql \f0 \sa180 \li0 \fi0 Some dashes: one\u8212-two\u8212-three\u8212-four\u8212-five.\par}
+{\pard \ql \f0 \sa180 \li0 \fi0 Some dashes: one\u8212-two \u8212- three\u8212-four \u8212- five.\par}
 {\pard \ql \f0 \sa180 \li0 \fi0 Dashes between numbers: 5\u8211-7, 255\u8211-66, 1987\u8211-1999.\par}
 {\pard \ql \f0 \sa180 \li0 \fi0 Ellipses\u8230?and\u8230?and\u8230?.\par}
 {\pard \qc \f0 \sa180 \li0 \fi0 \emdash\emdash\emdash\emdash\emdash\par}
diff --git a/tests/writer.texinfo b/tests/writer.texinfo
index adf7edb69..75ed31ddc 100644
--- a/tests/writer.texinfo
+++ b/tests/writer.texinfo
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ These should not be superscripts or subscripts@comma{} because of the unescaped
 
 Here is some quoted `@code{code}' and a ``@uref{http://example.com/?foo=1&bar=2,quoted link}''.
 
-Some dashes: one---two---three---four---five.
+Some dashes: one---two --- three---four --- five.
 
 Dashes between numbers: 5--7@comma{} 255--66@comma{} 1987--1999.