diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 79afb8211d4c..7daba1bc9d47 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ For full details, see the git log at: https://github.com/ksh93/ksh
 
 Any uppercase BUG_* names are modernish shell bug IDs.
 
+2021-03-29:
+
+- Fixed an intermittent crash that could occur in vi mode when using the 'b'
+  or 'B' commands to go back one word.
+
 2021-03-27:
 
 - The 'test' builtin will now show an error message when given the invalid ']]'
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/vi.c b/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/vi.c
index 8196ffca047c..59f0ab16a2cc 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/vi.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/edit/vi.c
@@ -664,8 +664,7 @@ static void backword(Vi_t *vp,int nwords, register int cmd)
 	register int tcur_virt = cur_virt;
 	while( nwords-- && tcur_virt > first_virt )
 	{
-		if( !isblank(tcur_virt) && isblank(tcur_virt-1)
-			&& tcur_virt>first_virt )
+		if( !isblank(tcur_virt) && isblank(tcur_virt-1) )
 			--tcur_virt;
 		else if(cmd != 'B')
 		{
@@ -674,21 +673,20 @@ static void backword(Vi_t *vp,int nwords, register int cmd)
 			if((!cur && last) || (cur && !last))
 				--tcur_virt;
 		}
-		while( isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt>=first_virt )
+		while( tcur_virt >= first_virt && isblank(tcur_virt) )
 			--tcur_virt;
 		if( cmd == 'B' )
 		{
-			while( !isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt>=first_virt )
+			while( tcur_virt >= first_virt && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 				--tcur_virt;
 		}
 		else
 		{
 			if(isalph(tcur_virt))
-				while( isalph(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt>=first_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt >= first_virt && isalph(tcur_virt) )
 					--tcur_virt;
 			else
-				while( !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt)
-					&& tcur_virt>=first_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt >= first_virt && !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 					--tcur_virt;
 		}
 		cur_virt = ++tcur_virt;
@@ -1235,23 +1233,22 @@ static void endword(Vi_t *vp, int nwords, register int cmd)
 	register int tcur_virt = cur_virt;
 	while( nwords-- )
 	{
-		if( !isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt<=last_virt )
+		if( tcur_virt <= last_virt && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 			++tcur_virt;
-		while( isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt<=last_virt )
+		while( tcur_virt <= last_virt && isblank(tcur_virt) )
 			++tcur_virt;	
 		if( cmd == 'E' )
 		{
-			while( !isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt<=last_virt )
+			while( tcur_virt <= last_virt && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 				++tcur_virt;
 		}
 		else
 		{
 			if( isalph(tcur_virt) )
-				while( isalph(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt<=last_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt <= last_virt && isalph(tcur_virt) )
 					++tcur_virt;
 			else
-				while( !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt)
-					&& tcur_virt<=last_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt <= last_virt && !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 					++tcur_virt;
 		}
 		if( tcur_virt > first_virt )
@@ -1274,24 +1271,23 @@ static void forward(Vi_t *vp,register int nwords, int cmd)
 	{
 		if( cmd == 'W' )
 		{
-			while( !isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt < last_virt )
+			while( tcur_virt < last_virt && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 				++tcur_virt;
 		}
 		else
 		{
 			if( isalph(tcur_virt) )
 			{
-				while( isalph(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt<last_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt < last_virt && isalph(tcur_virt) )
 					++tcur_virt;
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				while( !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt)
-					&& tcur_virt < last_virt )
+				while( tcur_virt < last_virt && !isalph(tcur_virt) && !isblank(tcur_virt) )
 					++tcur_virt;
 			}
 		}
-		while( isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt < last_virt )
+		while( tcur_virt < last_virt && isblank(tcur_virt) )
 			++tcur_virt;
 	}
 	cur_virt = tcur_virt;
@@ -1606,7 +1602,7 @@ static int mvcursor(register Vi_t* vp,register int motion)
 
 	case '^':		/** First nonblank character **/
 		tcur_virt = first_virt;
-		while( isblank(tcur_virt) && tcur_virt < last_virt )
+		while( tcur_virt < last_virt && isblank(tcur_virt) )
 			++tcur_virt;
 		break;
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
index 0a8d7de16951..94bb4bda05e3 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/include/version.h
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 #define SH_RELEASE_FORK	"93u+m"		/* only change if you develop a new ksh93 fork */
 #define SH_RELEASE_SVER	"1.0.0-alpha"	/* semantic version number: https://semver.org */
-#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-03-27"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
+#define SH_RELEASE_DATE	"2021-03-29"	/* must be in this format for $((.sh.version)) */
 #define SH_RELEASE_CPYR	"(c) 2020-2021 Contributors to ksh " SH_RELEASE_FORK
 
 /* Scripts sometimes field-split ${.sh.version}, so don't change amount of whitespace. */
diff --git a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
index aff155306677..61ec77fee866 100755
--- a/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
+++ b/src/cmd/ksh93/tests/pty.sh
@@ -770,5 +770,17 @@ w : XX\t
 r ^:test-1: : XXX\r\n$
 !
 
+((SHOPT_VSH)) && tst $LINENO <<"!"
+L Using b, B, w and W commands in vi mode
+
+d 15
+p :test-1:
+w set -o vi
+r ^:test-1: set -o vi\r\n$
+w echo asdf\EbwBwa
+r ^:test-2: echo asdf\r\n$
+r ^asdf\r\n$
+!
+
 # ======
 exit $((Errors<125?Errors:125))