diff --git a/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorDemo.java b/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorDemo.java
index 646a01653224d..8835c109e94f3 100644
--- a/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorDemo.java
+++ b/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorDemo.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public void init(final ProcessorContext<String, String> context) {
 
                 @Override
                 public void process(final Record<String, String> record) {
-                    final String[] words = record.value().toLowerCase(Locale.getDefault()).split(" ");
+                    final String[] words = record.value().toLowerCase(Locale.getDefault()).split("\\W+");
 
                     for (final String word : words) {
                         final Integer oldValue = kvStore.get(word);
diff --git a/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerDemo.java b/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerDemo.java
index bef0a626f98fc..33f8499d91da2 100644
--- a/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerDemo.java
+++ b/streams/examples/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerDemo.java
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public void init(final ProcessorContext context) {
 
                 @Override
                 public KeyValue<String, String> transform(final String dummy, final String line) {
-                    final String[] words = line.toLowerCase(Locale.getDefault()).split(" ");
+                    final String[] words = line.toLowerCase(Locale.getDefault()).split("\\W+");
 
                     for (final String word : words) {
                         final Integer oldValue = this.kvStore.get(word);
diff --git a/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorTest.java b/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorTest.java
index 0df64b7b88605..eb62630a80329 100644
--- a/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorTest.java
+++ b/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountProcessorTest.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public void test() {
         processor.init(context);
 
         // send a record to the processor
-        processor.process(new Record<>("key", "alpha beta gamma alpha", 0L));
+        processor.process(new Record<>("key", "alpha beta\tgamma\n\talpha", 0L));
 
         // note that the processor does not forward during process()
         assertTrue(context.forwarded().isEmpty());
diff --git a/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerTest.java b/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerTest.java
index 82e916645a25d..662f0a2e494c7 100644
--- a/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerTest.java
+++ b/streams/examples/src/test/java/org/apache/kafka/streams/examples/wordcount/WordCountTransformerTest.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public void test() {
         transformer.init(context);
 
         // send a record to the transformer
-        transformer.transform("key", "alpha beta gamma alpha");
+        transformer.transform("key", "alpha beta\tgamma\n\talpha");
 
         // note that the transformer does not forward during transform()
         assertTrue(context.forwarded().isEmpty());