diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/pretty-text/emoji.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/pretty-text/emoji.js.es6
index 6e73be91f0e..2089902c3b5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/pretty-text/emoji.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/pretty-text/emoji.js.es6
@@ -21,11 +21,29 @@ export function extendedEmojiList() {
 
 const emojiHash = {};
 
-const unicodeRegexp = new RegExp(
-  Object.keys(replacements)
+export function buildReplacementsList(emojiReplacements) {
+  return Object.keys(emojiReplacements)
     .sort()
     .reverse()
-    .join("|") + "|\\B:[^\\s:]+(?::t\\d)?:?\\B",
+    .map(emoji => {
+      return emoji
+        .split("")
+        .map(chr => {
+          return (
+            "\\u" +
+            chr
+              .charCodeAt(0)
+              .toString(16)
+              .padStart(4, "0")
+          );
+        })
+        .join("");
+    })
+    .join("|");
+}
+
+const unicodeRegexp = new RegExp(
+  buildReplacementsList(replacements) + "|\\B:[^\\s:]+(?::t\\d)?:?\\B",
   "g"
 );
 
diff --git a/app/models/emoji.rb b/app/models/emoji.rb
index 94f58128c26..3307c46204f 100644
--- a/app/models/emoji.rb
+++ b/app/models/emoji.rb
@@ -133,9 +133,10 @@ class Emoji
   end
 
   def self.replacement_code(code)
-    hexes = code.split('-'.freeze).map!(&:hex)
-    # Don't replace digits, letters and some symbols
-    hexes.pack("U*".freeze) if hexes[0] > 255
+    code
+      .split('-'.freeze)
+      .map!(&:hex)
+      .pack("U*".freeze)
   end
 
   def self.unicode_replacements
@@ -146,6 +147,10 @@ class Emoji
 
       db['emojis'].each do |e|
         name = e['name']
+
+        # special cased as we prefer to keep these as symbols
+        next if name == 'registered'.freeze
+        next if name == 'copyright'.freeze
         next if name == 'tm'.freeze
 
         code = replacement_code(e['code'])
diff --git a/lib/pretty_text/shims.js b/lib/pretty_text/shims.js
index 44f80690720..4d77520eb27 100644
--- a/lib/pretty_text/shims.js
+++ b/lib/pretty_text/shims.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 __PrettyText = require("pretty-text/pretty-text").default;
 __buildOptions = require("pretty-text/pretty-text").buildOptions;
 __performEmojiUnescape = require("pretty-text/emoji").performEmojiUnescape;
+__buildReplacementsList = require("pretty-text/emoji").buildReplacementsList;
 __performEmojiEscape = require("pretty-text/emoji").performEmojiEscape;
 
 __utils = require("discourse/lib/utilities");
@@ -8,13 +9,7 @@ __utils = require("discourse/lib/utilities");
 __emojiUnicodeReplacer = null;
 
 __setUnicode = function(replacements) {
-  let unicodeRegexp = new RegExp(
-    Object.keys(replacements)
-      .sort()
-      .reverse()
-      .join("|"),
-    "g"
-  );
+  let unicodeRegexp = new RegExp(__buildReplacementsList(replacements), "g");
 
   __emojiUnicodeReplacer = function(text) {
     unicodeRegexp.lastIndex = 0;
diff --git a/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb b/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
index 327dbf6d224..1da66531d7e 100644
--- a/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
@@ -877,6 +877,13 @@ describe PrettyText do
       expect(PrettyText.cook("☺")).to match(/\:slight_smile\:/)
     end
 
+    it "replaces digits" do
+      expect(PrettyText.cook("🔢")).to match(/\:1234\:/)
+      expect(PrettyText.cook("1️⃣")).to match(/\:one\:/)
+      expect(PrettyText.cook("#️⃣")).to match(/\:hash\:/)
+      expect(PrettyText.cook("*️⃣")).to match(/\:asterisk\:/)
+    end
+
     it "doesn't replace unicode emoji if emoji is disabled" do
       SiteSetting.enable_emoji = false
       expect(PrettyText.cook("💣")).not_to match(/\:bomb\:/)
diff --git a/spec/models/emoji_spec.rb b/spec/models/emoji_spec.rb
index c36f3161f99..f7f57ae26a0 100644
--- a/spec/models/emoji_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/emoji_spec.rb
@@ -12,11 +12,6 @@ describe Emoji do
     expect(Emoji.replacement_code('1f1e9-1f1ea').codepoints).to eq([127465, 127466])
   end
 
-  it "returns nil for weird cases" do
-    expect(Emoji.replacement_code('32')).to be_nil
-    expect(Emoji.replacement_code('robin')).to be_nil
-  end
-
   describe '.load_custom' do
     describe 'when a custom emoji has an invalid upload_id' do
       it 'should return the custom emoji without a URL' do