diff --git a/api/parsing/hand_parser.py b/api/parsing/hand_parser.py
index bf1d5a7c5..732937bd5 100644
--- a/api/parsing/hand_parser.py
+++ b/api/parsing/hand_parser.py
@@ -53,7 +53,10 @@
 
 # On Scryfall '!' is an alias for '=' on these classes only (verified live, #903 cause C) — on
 # TEXT/LEGALITY it isn't an operator at all, and a trailing bang there falls through to the
-# existing exact-name-prefix reading of the next factor instead.
+# existing exact-name-prefix reading of the next factor instead. The alias also only holds when
+# the bang is GLUED to both sides: measured live, `c!w` is 5,071 where `c !w` is 0 (name-and-
+# exact-name reading) and `c! w` / `cmc! 3` are not the alias either — so a spaced bang keeps
+# the exact-name-prefix reading a space always had.
 _BANG_ALIAS_CLASSES: frozenset[ParserClass] = frozenset(
     {ParserClass.COLOR, ParserClass.MANA, ParserClass.RARITY, ParserClass.YEAR, ParserClass.DATE}
 )
@@ -506,8 +509,9 @@ def parse_word_primary(self, word: str) -> QueryNode:
 
         # ── NUMERIC attribute ──
         if pc == ParserClass.NUMERIC:
-            if next_tok.type in (TT.OP, TT.BANG):
-                op = "=" if next_tok.type == TT.BANG else next_tok.value
+            bang_alias = next_tok.type == TT.BANG and not next_tok.space_before and not self.peek(1).space_before
+            if next_tok.type == TT.OP or bang_alias:
+                op = "=" if bang_alias else next_tok.value
                 self.consume()
                 return CardBinaryOperatorNode(CardAttributeNode(wl, ParserClass.NUMERIC), op, self.parse_num_expr_value())
             if next_tok.type in _ARITH_OPS and not next_tok.space_before:
@@ -527,7 +531,13 @@ def parse_word_primary(self, word: str) -> QueryNode:
             return lhs
 
         # ── known non-NUMERIC attribute ──
-        bang_alias = pc is not None and next_tok.type == TT.BANG and pc in _BANG_ALIAS_CLASSES
+        bang_alias = (
+            pc is not None
+            and next_tok.type == TT.BANG
+            and not next_tok.space_before
+            and not self.peek(1).space_before
+            and pc in _BANG_ALIAS_CLASSES
+        )
         if pc is not None and (next_tok.type == TT.OP or bang_alias):
             op = "=" if bang_alias else next_tok.value
             self.consume()
diff --git a/api/parsing/pyparsing_based.py b/api/parsing/pyparsing_based.py
index c6c18ac46..e6fe7690e 100644
--- a/api/parsing/pyparsing_based.py
+++ b/api/parsing/pyparsing_based.py
@@ -57,7 +57,10 @@
 # On Scryfall '!' is an alias for '=' on COLOR/MANA/NUMERIC/RARITY/YEAR/DATE only (verified live,
 # #903 cause C) — not on TEXT/LEGALITY, so those conditions keep using DEFAULT_OPERATORS. '!='
 # still wins over bare '!' here: DEFAULT_OPERATORS is tried first and already matches it whole.
-EQ_ALIAS_OPERATORS = DEFAULT_OPERATORS | Literal("!").set_parse_action(lambda: "=")
+# The bang must be GLUED to both sides (leave_whitespace for the left, the lookahead for the
+# right): measured live, `c!w` is 5,071 where `c !w` is 0 and `c! w` is not the alias either —
+# a spaced bang keeps the exact-name-prefix reading it always had.
+EQ_ALIAS_OPERATORS = DEFAULT_OPERATORS | Regex(r"!(?=\S)").leave_whitespace().set_parse_action(lambda: "=")
 
 _NUMERIC_LITERAL_RE = re.compile(r"^\d+(\.\d+)?$")
 _COMPARISON_OPERATORS = frozenset({">", "<", ">=", "<=", "=", "!=", ":"})
diff --git a/api/parsing/tests/test_parser_parity.py b/api/parsing/tests/test_parser_parity.py
index 957817555..86c2fbfb4 100644
--- a/api/parsing/tests/test_parser_parity.py
+++ b/api/parsing/tests/test_parser_parity.py
@@ -118,6 +118,44 @@ def test_bang_equals_alias_parity(query: str) -> None:
     assert_parsers_agree(query)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    argnames=["query"],
+    argvalues=[
+        ("c !w",),
+        ("c! w",),
+        ("c ! w",),
+        ("cmc !3",),
+        ("cmc! 3",),
+        ("r !rare",),
+        ("year! 2020",),
+    ],
+    ids=[
+        "space_before_bang_color",
+        "space_after_bang_color",
+        "space_both_sides_color",
+        "space_before_bang_numeric",
+        "space_after_bang_numeric",
+        "space_before_bang_rarity",
+        "space_after_bang_year",
+    ],
+)
+def test_spaced_bang_is_not_the_alias(query: str) -> None:
+    """A '!' with a space on either side keeps the exact-name reading a space always had.
+
+    Measured live: `c!w` answers 5,071 where `c !w` answers 0 (the name-and-exact-name reading)
+    and `c! w` / `cmc! 3` are not the alias either. Both parsers must agree, and neither may fold
+    the spaced spelling into `=` — a spaced spelling that errors (the numeric and year cases:
+    `!3` cannot be an exact name) proves the same thing, since the glued spelling parses.
+    """
+    assert_parsers_agree(query)
+    try:
+        parsed = parse_scryfall_query(query)
+    except ValueError:
+        return  # rejected outright, which is certainly not the alias
+    glued = parse_scryfall_query(query.replace(" ", ""))
+    assert parsed.root.to_json() != glued.root.to_json(), "the spaced bang folded into the alias"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     argnames=["bang_query", "eq_query"],
     argvalues=[