diff --git a/lib/std/core/string_to_real.c3 b/lib/std/core/string_to_real.c3
index ab9a019c8..3c715f309 100644
--- a/lib/std/core/string_to_real.c3
+++ b/lib/std/core/string_to_real.c3
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ macro String.to_real(chars, $Type) @private
 		$error "Unexpected type";
 	$endswitch
 
-	while (chars.len && chars[0] == ' ') chars = chars[1..];
+	chars = chars.trim();
 	if (!chars.len) return MALFORMED_FLOAT?;
 
 	if (chars.len != 1)
@@ -476,6 +476,9 @@ macro String.to_real(chars, $Type) @private
 				chars = chars[1..];
 		}
 	}
+	chars = chars.trim();
+	if (!chars.len) return MALFORMED_FLOAT?;
+
 	if (chars == "infinity" || chars == "INFINITY") return sign * $Type.inf;
 	if (chars == "NAN" || chars == "nan") return $Type.nan;
 
diff --git a/releasenotes.md b/releasenotes.md
index 51ee28c09..2e27b438a 100644
--- a/releasenotes.md
+++ b/releasenotes.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 - Initialize pool correctly in print_backtrace.
 - `--max-mem` now works correctly again.
 - Casting a fault to a pointer would trigger an assert.
+- Make `to_float` more tolerant to spaces.
 
 ### Stdlib changes
 
diff --git a/test/unit/stdlib/core/string.c3 b/test/unit/stdlib/core/string.c3
index 3e37225ec..1505ee7ec 100644
--- a/test/unit/stdlib/core/string.c3
+++ b/test/unit/stdlib/core/string.c3
@@ -306,3 +306,9 @@ fn void tokenize_all_skip_last()
 	}
 	test::eq(str.str_view(), "foo--bar-baz-");
 }
+
+fn void test_float()
+{
+	test::eq_approx(- 2.04632e-05," - 2.04632e-05   ".to_float()!!, delta: 0.00001e-5);
+	test::eq_approx(2.04632e-05," + 2.04632e-05   ".to_float()!!, delta: 0.00001e-5);
+}
\ No newline at end of file