diff --git a/packages/core/src/components/hotkeys/hotkeyParser.ts b/packages/core/src/components/hotkeys/hotkeyParser.ts
index fd49fe111e1..08f201caed6 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/components/hotkeys/hotkeyParser.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/components/hotkeys/hotkeyParser.ts
@@ -53,11 +53,12 @@ export const CONFIG_ALIASES: KeyMap = {
     plus: "+",
     return: "enter",
     win: "meta",
-    // need these direction aliases for backwards-compatibility (but they're also convenient)
+    // need these aliases for backwards-compatibility (but they're also convenient)
     up: "ArrowUp",
     left: "ArrowLeft",
     down: "ArrowDown",
     right: "ArrowRight",
+    space: " ",
 };
 
 export const SHIFT_KEYS: KeyMap = {
@@ -148,8 +149,15 @@ export const getKeyComboString = (e: KeyboardEvent): string => {
         comboParts.push("meta");
     }
 
-    if (e.key !== undefined && !MODIFIER_KEYS.has(e.key)) {
-        comboParts.push(e.key.toLowerCase());
+    if (e.key !== undefined) {
+        if (e.key === " ") {
+            // special case for "space" key, which would otherwise be printed as illegible whitespace
+            comboParts.push("space");
+        } else if (MODIFIER_KEYS.has(e.key)) {
+            // do nothing
+        } else {
+            comboParts.push(e.key.toLowerCase());
+        }
     }
 
     return comboParts.join(" + ");
diff --git a/packages/core/test/hotkeys/hotkeysParserTests.ts b/packages/core/test/hotkeys/hotkeysParserTests.ts
index 58e1b36ce14..36f5622d329 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/hotkeys/hotkeysParserTests.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/hotkeys/hotkeysParserTests.ts
@@ -34,12 +34,12 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
             parsedKeyCombo: KeyCombo;
         }
 
-        const makeComboTest = (combo: string, event: KeyboardEvent) => {
+        const makeComboTest = (combo: string, event: Partial<KeyboardEvent>) => {
             return {
                 combo,
-                eventKeyCombo: getKeyCombo(event),
+                eventKeyCombo: getKeyCombo(event as KeyboardEvent),
                 parsedKeyCombo: parseKeyCombo(combo),
-                stringKeyCombo: getKeyComboString(event),
+                stringKeyCombo: getKeyComboString(event as KeyboardEvent),
             };
         };
 
@@ -58,8 +58,7 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
                 Array.apply(null, Array(26)).map((_: any, i: number) => {
                     const charString = String.fromCharCode(alpha + i).toLowerCase();
                     const combo = charString;
-                    const event: KeyboardEvent = { key: charString } as any;
-                    return makeComboTest(combo, event);
+                    return makeComboTest(combo, { key: charString });
                 }),
             );
         });
@@ -70,8 +69,7 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
                 Array.apply(null, Array(26)).map((_: any, i: number) => {
                     const charString = String.fromCharCode(alpha + i).toLowerCase();
                     const combo = charString.toUpperCase();
-                    const event: KeyboardEvent = { key: charString } as any;
-                    return makeComboTest(combo, event);
+                    return makeComboTest(combo, { key: charString });
                 }),
                 false,
             ); // don't compare string combos
@@ -83,8 +81,7 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
                 Array.apply(null, Array(26)).map((_: any, i: number) => {
                     const charString = String.fromCharCode(alpha + i).toLowerCase();
                     const combo = "shift + " + charString;
-                    const event: KeyboardEvent = { shiftKey: true, key: charString } as any;
-                    return makeComboTest(combo, event);
+                    return makeComboTest(combo, { shiftKey: true, key: charString });
                 }),
             );
         });
@@ -111,9 +108,9 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
         // these tests no longer make sense with the migration from key codes to named keys, they can likely be deleted
         it.skip("adds Shift to keys that imply it", () => {
             const tests = [] as ComboTest[];
-            tests.push(makeComboTest("!", { shiftKey: true, key: "!" } as any as KeyboardEvent));
-            tests.push(makeComboTest("@", { shiftKey: true, key: "@" } as any as KeyboardEvent));
-            tests.push(makeComboTest("{", { shiftKey: true, key: "{" } as any as KeyboardEvent));
+            tests.push(makeComboTest("!", { shiftKey: true, key: "!" }));
+            tests.push(makeComboTest("@", { shiftKey: true, key: "@" }));
+            tests.push(makeComboTest("{", { shiftKey: true, key: "{" }));
             // don't verify the strings because these will be converted to
             // `Shift + 1`, etc.
             verifyCombos(tests, false);
@@ -125,6 +122,15 @@ describe("HotkeysParser", () => {
             expect(comboMatches(parseKeyCombo("cmd + plus"), parseKeyCombo("meta + plus"))).to.be.true;
         });
 
+        it("handles space key", () => {
+            const tests = [] as ComboTest[];
+            tests.push(
+                makeComboTest("space", { key: " " }),
+                makeComboTest("ctrl + space", { ctrlKey: true, key: " " }),
+            );
+            verifyCombos(tests);
+        });
+
         it("applies aliases", () => {
             expect(comboMatches(parseKeyCombo("return"), parseKeyCombo("enter"))).to.be.true;