diff --git a/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpspreadsheet.pas b/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpspreadsheet.pas
index e7c0c55dc..3697aad05 100644
--- a/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpspreadsheet.pas
+++ b/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpspreadsheet.pas
@@ -4648,7 +4648,8 @@ begin
   end;
 
   // Check for a "number" value (floating point, or integer)
-  if TryStrToFloat(AValue, number, AFormatSettings) then
+  // BUT: val() (and TryStsrToFloat) assumes that a string beginning with 'E' is a valid number
+  if not (AValue[1] in ['E', 'e']) and TryStrToFloat(AValue, number, AFormatSettings) then
   begin
     if (soAutoDetectCellType in FOptions) then begin
       if isPercent then
diff --git a/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpsutils.pas b/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpsutils.pas
index 34ab6d10e..23e478258 100644
--- a/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpsutils.pas
+++ b/components/fpspreadsheet/source/common/fpsutils.pas
@@ -1785,8 +1785,8 @@ begin
 end;
 
 {@@ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  Converts a string to a floating point number. No assumption on decimal and
-  thousand separator are made.
+  Converts a string to a floating point number. No assumptions on decimal and
+  thousand separators are made.
   
   Is needed for reading CSV files.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------}