diff --git a/compiler/layouter.nim b/compiler/layouter.nim
index 1e36b0f9ea3a8..6e8280e674d9a 100644
--- a/compiler/layouter.nim
+++ b/compiler/layouter.nim
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ proc emitTok*(em: var Emitter; L: Lexer; tok: Token) =
     wr(em, $tok.tokType, ltOther)
     if not em.inquote: wrSpace(em)
   of tkOpr, tkDotDot:
-    if em.inquote or (((not tok.strongSpaceA) and tok.strongSpaceB == 0) and
+    if em.inquote or (((not tok.strongSpaceA) and tok.strongSpaceB == tsNone) and
         tok.ident.s notin ["<", ">", "<=", ">=", "==", "!="]):
       # bug #9504: remember to not spacify a keyword:
       lastTokWasTerse = true
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@ proc emitTok*(em: var Emitter; L: Lexer; tok: Token) =
       if not em.endsInWhite: wrSpace(em)
       wr(em, tok.ident.s, ltOpr)
       template isUnary(tok): bool =
-        tok.strongSpaceB == 0 and tok.strongSpaceA
+        tok.strongSpaceB == tsNone and tok.strongSpaceA
 
       if not isUnary(tok):
         rememberSplit(splitBinary)
diff --git a/compiler/lexer.nim b/compiler/lexer.nim
index a82e99a474c4a..a9e370b5b80aa 100644
--- a/compiler/lexer.nim
+++ b/compiler/lexer.nim
@@ -93,19 +93,22 @@ type
                               # so that it is the correct default value
     base2, base8, base16
 
-  Token* = object             # a Nim token
-    tokType*: TokType         # the type of the token
-    indent*: int              # the indentation; != -1 if the token has been
-                              # preceded with indentation
-    ident*: PIdent            # the parsed identifier
-    iNumber*: BiggestInt      # the parsed integer literal
-    fNumber*: BiggestFloat    # the parsed floating point literal
-    base*: NumericalBase      # the numerical base; only valid for int
-                              # or float literals
-    strongSpaceA*: bool       # leading spaces of an operator
-    strongSpaceB*: int8       # trailing spaces of an operator
-    literal*: string          # the parsed (string) literal; and
-                              # documentation comments are here too
+  TokenSpacing* = enum
+    tsNone, tsTrailing, tsEof
+
+  Token* = object                # a Nim token
+    tokType*: TokType            # the type of the token
+    indent*: int                 # the indentation; != -1 if the token has been
+                                 # preceded with indentation
+    ident*: PIdent               # the parsed identifier
+    iNumber*: BiggestInt         # the parsed integer literal
+    fNumber*: BiggestFloat       # the parsed floating point literal
+    base*: NumericalBase         # the numerical base; only valid for int
+                                 # or float literals
+    strongSpaceA*: bool          # leading spaces of an operator
+    strongSpaceB*: TokenSpacing  # trailing spaces of an operator
+    literal*: string             # the parsed (string) literal; and
+                                 # documentation comments are here too
     line*, col*: int
     when defined(nimpretty):
       offsetA*, offsetB*: int # used for pretty printing so that literals
@@ -955,13 +958,13 @@ proc getOperator(L: var Lexer, tok: var Token) =
   tokenEnd(tok, pos-1)
   # advance pos but don't store it in L.bufpos so the next token (which might
   # be an operator too) gets the preceding spaces:
-  tok.strongSpaceB = 0
+  tok.strongSpaceB = tsNone
   while L.buf[pos] == ' ':
     inc pos
-    if tok.strongSpaceB < 1:
-      inc(tok.strongSpaceB)
+    if tok.strongSpaceB != tsTrailing:
+      tok.strongSpaceB = tsTrailing
   if L.buf[pos] in {CR, LF, nimlexbase.EndOfFile}:
-    tok.strongSpaceB = -1
+    tok.strongSpaceB = tsEof
 
 proc getPrecedence*(tok: Token): int =
   ## Calculates the precedence of the given token.
diff --git a/compiler/parser.nim b/compiler/parser.nim
index 19600f6868eb4..22d3b8595d808 100644
--- a/compiler/parser.nim
+++ b/compiler/parser.nim
@@ -300,14 +300,14 @@ proc isRightAssociative(tok: Token): bool {.inline.} =
 proc isUnary(tok: Token): bool =
   ## Check if the given token is a unary operator
   tok.tokType in {tkOpr, tkDotDot} and
-  tok.strongSpaceB == 0 and
+  tok.strongSpaceB == tsNone and
   tok.strongSpaceA
 
 proc checkBinary(p: Parser) {.inline.} =
   ## Check if the current parser token is a binary operator.
   # we don't check '..' here as that's too annoying
   if p.tok.tokType == tkOpr:
-    if p.tok.strongSpaceB > 0 and not p.tok.strongSpaceA:
+    if p.tok.strongSpaceB == tsTrailing and not p.tok.strongSpaceA:
       parMessage(p, warnInconsistentSpacing, prettyTok(p.tok))
 
 #| module = stmt ^* (';' / IND{=})
diff --git a/nimpretty/tests/exhaustive.nim b/nimpretty/tests/exhaustive.nim
index 80bf8b3460f90..53ff0ea4d5f63 100644
--- a/nimpretty/tests/exhaustive.nim
+++ b/nimpretty/tests/exhaustive.nim
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ proc emitTok*(em: var Emitter; L: TLexer; tok: TToken) =
     if not em.endsInWhite: wr(" ")
     wr(tok.ident.s)
     template isUnary(tok): bool =
-      tok.strongSpaceB == 0 and tok.strongSpaceA
+      tok.strongSpaceB == tsNone and tok.strongSpaceA
 
     if not isUnary(tok) or em.lastTok in {tkOpr, tkDotDot}:
       wr(" ")
diff --git a/nimpretty/tests/expected/exhaustive.nim b/nimpretty/tests/expected/exhaustive.nim
index 22bc22a7d8bdb..266bcae06b575 100644
--- a/nimpretty/tests/expected/exhaustive.nim
+++ b/nimpretty/tests/expected/exhaustive.nim
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ proc emitTok*(em: var Emitter; L: TLexer; tok: TToken) =
     if not em.endsInWhite: wr(" ")
     wr(tok.ident.s)
     template isUnary(tok): bool =
-      tok.strongSpaceB == 0 and tok.strongSpaceA
+      tok.strongSpaceB == tsNone and tok.strongSpaceA
 
     if not isUnary(tok) or em.lastTok in {tkOpr, tkDotDot}:
       wr(" ")