diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/visitors/template.js b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/visitors/template.js
index 8468d4d594..ec37a618de 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/visitors/template.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/compiler/phases/3-transform/client/visitors/template.js
@@ -1408,7 +1408,7 @@ function process_children(nodes, expression, is_element, { visit, state }) {
 
 			state.template.push(' ');
 
-			const text_id = get_node_id(b.call('$.space', expression(true)), state, 'text');
+			const text_id = get_node_id(expression(true), state, 'text');
 
 			const update = b.stmt(
 				b.call(
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/template.js b/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/template.js
index 9e23f58853..9817e7d96e 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/template.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/template.js
@@ -137,22 +137,6 @@ export function space_frag(anchor) {
 	return node;
 }
 
-/**
- * @param {Text | Comment | Element} anchor
- */
-/*#__NO_SIDE_EFFECTS__*/
-export function space(anchor) {
-	// if an {expression} is empty during SSR, there might be no
-	// text node to hydrate (or an anchor comment is falsely detected instead)
-	//  — we must therefore create one
-	if (hydrating && anchor.nodeType !== 3) {
-		const node = empty();
-		anchor.before(node);
-		return node;
-	}
-	return anchor;
-}
-
 /*#__NO_SIDE_EFFECTS__*/
 export function comment() {
 	return open_frag(comment_template);