diff --git a/dotCMS/src/integration-test/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtilTest.java b/dotCMS/src/integration-test/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtilTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e21ea68bcf51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dotCMS/src/integration-test/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtilTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+package com.dotcms.content.elasticsearch.util;
+
+import com.dotcms.IntegrationTestBase;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.field.Field;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.field.FieldBuilder;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.field.TextField;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.type.ContentType;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.type.ContentTypeBuilder;
+import com.dotcms.contenttype.model.type.SimpleContentType;
+import com.dotcms.util.IntegrationTestInitService;
+import com.dotmarketing.business.APILocator;
+import com.dotmarketing.common.model.ContentletSearch;
+import com.dotmarketing.exception.DotDataException;
+import com.dotmarketing.exception.DotSecurityException;
+import com.dotmarketing.portlets.contentlet.business.ContentletAPI;
+import com.dotmarketing.portlets.contentlet.model.Contentlet;
+import com.dotmarketing.util.Logger;
+import com.liferay.portal.model.User;
+import com.tngtech.java.junit.dataprovider.DataProvider;
+import com.tngtech.java.junit.dataprovider.DataProviderRunner;
+import com.tngtech.java.junit.dataprovider.UseDataProvider;
+
+import org.junit.BeforeClass;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+@RunWith(DataProviderRunner.class)
+public class ESUtilTest extends IntegrationTestBase {
+
+    private final User systemUser = APILocator.systemUser();
+    private final ContentletAPI contentletAPI = APILocator.getContentletAPI();
+
+    @BeforeClass
+    public static void prepare() throws Exception{
+        //Setting web app environment
+        IntegrationTestInitService.getInstance().init();
+    }
+
+    @DataProvider
+    public static Object[] dataProviderSpecialChars() {
+        return ESUtils.SPECIAL_CHARS;
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @UseDataProvider("dataProviderSpecialChars")
+    public void testEscape_textWithSpecialCharAndNoSpaces_ESQueryShouldMatch(String testValue)
+        throws DotSecurityException, DotDataException {
+
+        long time = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        ContentType type = ContentTypeBuilder.builder(SimpleContentType.class).name("type"+time).variable("type"+time)
+            .build();
+        type = APILocator.getContentTypeAPI(systemUser).save(type);
+
+        Field field = FieldBuilder.builder(TextField.class).name("text"+time).contentTypeId(type.id()).build();
+        field = APILocator.getContentTypeFieldAPI().save(field, systemUser);
+
+        Contentlet contentlet = new Contentlet();
+        contentlet.setContentTypeId(type.id());
+        contentlet.setLanguageId(APILocator.getLanguageAPI().getDefaultLanguage().getId());
+        contentlet.setStringProperty(field.variable(), ESUtils.escape("this"+testValue+"has"+testValue+"specialchars"));
+
+        contentlet = contentletAPI.checkin(contentlet, systemUser, false);
+
+        final String fieldValue = contentlet.get(field.variable()).toString();
+        final String escapedValue = ESUtils.escape(fieldValue);
+        System.out.println("fieldValue = " + fieldValue);
+        System.out.println("escapedValue = " + escapedValue);
+
+        boolean isInodeIndexed = contentletAPI.isInodeIndexed(contentlet.getInode());
+        Logger.info(this, "IsNodeIndexed: " + isInodeIndexed);
+
+        final StringBuilder luceneQuery = new StringBuilder().append("+structureInode:").append(type.id())
+            .append(' ').append(type.variable()).append('.').append(field.variable()).append(':').append(escapedValue);
+
+        final List<ContentletSearch> contentlets = contentletAPI.searchIndex(luceneQuery.toString(), 0, -1,
+            null, systemUser, false);
+
+        assertEquals(contentlets.get(0).getInode(), contentlet.getInode());
+
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEscape_textWithSpecialCharAndSpaces_ESQueryShouldMatch()
+        throws DotSecurityException, DotDataException {
+
+        long time = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        ContentType type = ContentTypeBuilder.builder(SimpleContentType.class).name("type"+time).variable("type"+time)
+            .build();
+        type = APILocator.getContentTypeAPI(systemUser).save(type);
+
+        Field field = FieldBuilder.builder(TextField.class).name("text"+time).contentTypeId(type.id()).build();
+        field = APILocator.getContentTypeFieldAPI().save(field, systemUser);
+
+        Contentlet contentlet = new Contentlet();
+        contentlet.setContentTypeId(type.id());
+        contentlet.setLanguageId(APILocator.getLanguageAPI().getDefaultLanguage().getId());
+        contentlet.setStringProperty(field.variable(), "this has spaces");
+
+        contentlet = contentletAPI.checkin(contentlet, systemUser, false);
+
+        final String fieldValue = contentlet.get(field.variable()).toString();
+        final String escapedValue = ESUtils.escape(fieldValue);
+
+        final StringBuilder luceneQuery = new StringBuilder().append("+structureInode:").append(type.id())
+            .append(' ').append(type.variable()).append('.').append(field.variable()).append(':').append(escapedValue);
+
+        final List<ContentletSearch> contentlets = contentletAPI.searchIndex(luceneQuery.toString(), 0, -1,
+            null, systemUser, false);
+
+        assertEquals(contentlets.get(0).getInode(), contentlet.getInode());
+
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/dotCMS/src/main/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtils.java b/dotCMS/src/main/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtils.java
index 344d816f5364..56daaff32362 100644
--- a/dotCMS/src/main/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtils.java
+++ b/dotCMS/src/main/java/com/dotcms/content/elasticsearch/util/ESUtils.java
@@ -1,19 +1,31 @@
 package com.dotcms.content.elasticsearch.util;
 
+import com.google.common.base.CharMatcher;
+
+import com.dotcms.repackage.com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.dotcms.repackage.org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 
 public class ESUtils {
 
 	// Query util methods
-	private static final String[] SPECIAL_CHARS = new String[] { "+", "-", "&&", "||", "!", "(", ")", "{", "}", "[", "]", "^", "\"", "?",
+	@VisibleForTesting
+	static final String[] SPECIAL_CHARS = new String[] { "+", "-", "&&", "||", "!", "(", ")", "{", "}", "[", "]", "^", "\"", "?",
 			":", "\\" };
 
-	public static String escape(String text) {
-		for (int i = SPECIAL_CHARS.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-			text = StringUtils.replace(text, SPECIAL_CHARS[i], "\\" + SPECIAL_CHARS[i]);
+	public static String escape(final String text) {
+
+		String escapedText;
+
+		if(CharMatcher.WHITESPACE.matchesAnyOf(text)) {
+			escapedText = "\"" +text + "\"";
+		} else {
+			escapedText = text;
+			for (int i = SPECIAL_CHARS.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+				escapedText = StringUtils.replace(escapedText, SPECIAL_CHARS[i], "\\" + SPECIAL_CHARS[i]);
+			}
 		}
 
-		return text;
+		return escapedText;
 	}