diff --git a/app/models/account.rb b/app/models/account.rb
index 344926e621d600..04c9a6d9da144f 100644
--- a/app/models/account.rb
+++ b/app/models/account.rb
@@ -530,9 +530,7 @@ def generate_query_for_search(unsanitized_terms)
       terms = unsanitized_terms.gsub(DISALLOWED_TSQUERY_CHARACTERS, ' ')
 
       # The final ":*" is for prefix search.
-      # Not sure what surrounding spaces are for, but they were there in the
-      # original code.
-      "' #{terms} ':*"
+      "'#{terms}':*"
     end
   end