diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 39e51736..fc33abe0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The library is stable, portable, and designed for projects that need a scripting
 	- [Pragmas](#pragmas)
 		- [@pragma entry](#pragma-entry)
 		- [@pragma implicit](#pragma-implicit)
-		- [@pragma sriprecspc](#pragma-sriprecspc)
+		- [@pragma striprecspc](#pragma-striprecspc)
 	- [@include and @include\_once](#include-and-include_once)
 	- [Comments](#comments)
 	- [Reserved Words](#reserved-words)
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ This feature can be beneficial for catching potential variable misspellings or u
 
 If you don't want to enforce variable declarations, you can simply omit the `@pragma implicit off` directive or specify `@pragma implicit on`, and Hawk will behave like traditional awk, allowing implicit variable declarations.
 
-### @pragma sriprecspc
+### @pragma striprecspc
 
 The `@pragma striprecspc` directive in Hawk controls how the interpreter handles leading and trailing blank fields in input records when using a regular expression as the field separator (FS).
 
diff --git a/lib/parse.c b/lib/parse.c
index b7182105..baab5f8e 100644
--- a/lib/parse.c
+++ b/lib/parse.c
@@ -6559,7 +6559,17 @@ static int get_string (
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				ADD_TOKEN_UINT32(hawk, tok, c_acc);
+				if (digit_count == 1 && end_char == HAWK_T('/'))
+				{
+					/* inside a regular expression, it's likely a backreference */
+					hawk_ooch_t oc = c_acc + HAWK_T('0');
+					ADD_TOKEN_CHAR(hawk, tok, esc_char);
+					ADD_TOKEN_CHAR(hawk, tok, oc);
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					ADD_TOKEN_UINT32(hawk, tok, c_acc);
+				}
 				escaped = 0;
 			}
 		}
@@ -6600,7 +6610,6 @@ static int get_string (
 			}
 			else
 			{
-
 				if (digit_count == 0)
 				{
 					hawk_ooch_t ec;
@@ -6619,7 +6628,7 @@ static int get_string (
 				else ADD_TOKEN_UINT32(hawk, tok, c_acc);
 
 				escaped = 0;
-				/* carray on to handle the current character  */
+				/* carry on to handle the current character  */
 			}
 		}
 		else if (escaped == 99)
@@ -6671,10 +6680,11 @@ static int get_string (
 			else if (c == HAWK_T('b')) c = HAWK_T('\b');
 			else if (c == HAWK_T('v')) c = HAWK_T('\v');
 			else if (c == HAWK_T('a')) c = HAWK_T('\a');
-			else if (c >= HAWK_T('0') && c <= HAWK_T('7') && end_char != HAWK_T('/'))
+			else if (c >= HAWK_T('0') && c <= HAWK_T('7'))
 			{
-				/* i don't support the octal notation for a regular expression.
-				 * it conflicts with the backreference notation between \1 and \7 inclusive. */
+				/* treat it as an octal notation first and
+				 * check if it's a backreference between \1 and \7 inclusive
+				 * in the `if (escaped == 3)` block. */
 				escaped = 3;
 				digit_count = 1;
 				c_acc = c - HAWK_T('0');
diff --git a/t/h-002.hawk b/t/h-002.hawk
index dddc309b..2ee2c63d 100644
--- a/t/h-002.hawk
+++ b/t/h-002.hawk
@@ -557,10 +557,11 @@ function main()
 
 
 	{
-		## back reference in a regular expression
-		tap_ensure (("a2b" ~ /(a)\12b/), 0, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure (("aa2b" ~ /(a)\12b/), 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
-		tap_ensure (("aaa2b" ~ /(a)\12b/), 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		## back reference in a regular expression - use the character class
+		## notation to avoid escaping - \1[2]
+		tap_ensure (("a2b" ~ /(a)\1[2]b/), 0, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (("aa2b" ~ /(a)\1[2]b/), 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
+		tap_ensure (("aaa2b" ~ /(a)\1[2]b/), 1, @SCRIPTNAME, @SCRIPTLINE);
 	}