diff --git a/packages/slate/src/changes/at-range.js b/packages/slate/src/changes/at-range.js
index f47796240..2f9420f5d 100644
--- a/packages/slate/src/changes/at-range.js
+++ b/packages/slate/src/changes/at-range.js
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ Changes.deleteWordBackwardAtRange = (change, range, options) => {
   const offset = startBlock.getOffset(start.key)
   const o = offset + start.offset
   const { text } = startBlock
-  const n = TextUtils.getWordOffsetBackward(text, o)
+  const n = o === 0 ? 1 : TextUtils.getWordOffsetBackward(text, o)
   change.deleteBackwardAtRange(range, n, options)
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/slate/test/changes/at-current-range/delete-word-backward/join-blocks.js b/packages/slate/test/changes/at-current-range/delete-word-backward/join-blocks.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..88075c003
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/slate/test/changes/at-current-range/delete-word-backward/join-blocks.js
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+/** @jsx h */
+
+import h from '../../../helpers/h'
+
+export default function(change) {
+  change.deleteWordBackward()
+}
+
+export const input = (
+  <value>
+    <document>
+      <paragraph>word</paragraph>
+      <paragraph>
+        <cursor />another
+      </paragraph>
+    </document>
+  </value>
+)
+
+export const output = (
+  <value>
+    <document>
+      <paragraph>
+        word<cursor />another
+      </paragraph>
+    </document>
+  </value>
+)