diff --git a/src/go/constant/value.go b/src/go/constant/value.go
index 0982243edbf688..f7efa95404a01e 100644
--- a/src/go/constant/value.go
+++ b/src/go/constant/value.go
@@ -315,8 +315,9 @@ func makeFloatFromLiteral(lit string) Value {
 				// but it'll take forever to parse as a Rat.
 				lit = "0"
 			}
-			r, _ := newRat().SetString(lit)
-			return ratVal{r}
+			if r, ok := newRat().SetString(lit); ok {
+				return ratVal{r}
+			}
 		}
 		// otherwise use floats
 		return makeFloat(f)
@@ -380,8 +381,17 @@ func MakeFromLiteral(lit string, tok token.Token, zero uint) Value {
 		panic("MakeFromLiteral called with non-zero last argument")
 	}
 
+	// TODO(gri) Remove stripSep and, for token.INT, 0o-octal handling
+	//           below once strconv and math/big can handle separators
+	//           and 0o-octals.
+
 	switch tok {
 	case token.INT:
+		// TODO(gri) remove 0o-special case once strconv and math/big can handle 0o-octals
+		lit = stripSep(lit)
+		if len(lit) >= 2 && lit[0] == '0' && (lit[1] == 'o' || lit[1] == 'O') {
+			lit = "0" + lit[2:]
+		}
 		if x, err := strconv.ParseInt(lit, 0, 64); err == nil {
 			return int64Val(x)
 		}
@@ -390,11 +400,13 @@ func MakeFromLiteral(lit string, tok token.Token, zero uint) Value {
 		}
 
 	case token.FLOAT:
+		lit = stripSep(lit)
 		if x := makeFloatFromLiteral(lit); x != nil {
 			return x
 		}
 
 	case token.IMAG:
+		lit = stripSep(lit)
 		if n := len(lit); n > 0 && lit[n-1] == 'i' {
 			if im := makeFloatFromLiteral(lit[:n-1]); im != nil {
 				return makeComplex(int64Val(0), im)
@@ -420,6 +432,26 @@ func MakeFromLiteral(lit string, tok token.Token, zero uint) Value {
 	return unknownVal{}
 }
 
+func stripSep(s string) string {
+	// avoid making a copy if there are no separators (common case)
+	i := 0
+	for i < len(s) && s[i] != '_' {
+		i++
+	}
+	if i == len(s) {
+		return s
+	}
+
+	// make a copy of s without separators
+	var buf []byte
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
+		if c := s[i]; c != '_' {
+			buf = append(buf, c)
+		}
+	}
+	return string(buf)
+}
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Accessors
 //
diff --git a/src/go/constant/value_test.go b/src/go/constant/value_test.go
index 68b87eaa5571d8..560712a8f55cdd 100644
--- a/src/go/constant/value_test.go
+++ b/src/go/constant/value_test.go
@@ -11,7 +11,151 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-// TODO(gri) expand this test framework
+var intTests = []string{
+	// 0-octals
+	`0_123 = 0123`,
+	`0123_456 = 0123456`,
+
+	// decimals
+	`1_234 = 1234`,
+	`1_234_567 = 1234567`,
+
+	// hexadecimals
+	`0X_0 = 0`,
+	`0X_1234 = 0x1234`,
+	`0X_CAFE_f00d = 0xcafef00d`,
+
+	// octals
+	`0o0 = 0`,
+	`0o1234 = 01234`,
+	`0o01234567 = 01234567`,
+
+	`0O0 = 0`,
+	`0O1234 = 01234`,
+	`0O01234567 = 01234567`,
+
+	`0o_0 = 0`,
+	`0o_1234 = 01234`,
+	`0o0123_4567 = 01234567`,
+
+	`0O_0 = 0`,
+	`0O_1234 = 01234`,
+	`0O0123_4567 = 01234567`,
+
+	// binaries
+	`0b0 = 0`,
+	`0b1011 = 0xb`,
+	`0b00101101 = 0x2d`,
+
+	`0B0 = 0`,
+	`0B1011 = 0xb`,
+	`0B00101101 = 0x2d`,
+
+	`0b_0 = 0`,
+	`0b10_11 = 0xb`,
+	`0b_0010_1101 = 0x2d`,
+}
+
+// The RHS operand may be a floating-point quotient n/d of two integer values n and d.
+var floatTests = []string{
+	// decimal floats
+	`1_2_3. = 123.`,
+	`0_123. = 123.`,
+
+	`0_0e0 = 0.`,
+	`1_2_3e0 = 123.`,
+	`0_123e0 = 123.`,
+
+	`0e-0_0 = 0.`,
+	`1_2_3E+0 = 123.`,
+	`0123E1_2_3 = 123e123`,
+
+	`0.e+1 = 0.`,
+	`123.E-1_0 = 123e-10`,
+	`01_23.e123 = 123e123`,
+
+	`.0e-1 = .0`,
+	`.123E+10 = .123e10`,
+	`.0123E123 = .0123e123`,
+
+	`1_2_3.123 = 123.123`,
+	`0123.01_23 = 123.0123`,
+
+	// hexadecimal floats
+	`0x0.p+0 = 0.`,
+	`0Xdeadcafe.p-10 = 0xdeadcafe/1024`,
+	`0x1234.P84 = 0x1234000000000000000000000`,
+
+	`0x.1p-0 = 1/16`,
+	`0X.deadcafep4 = 0xdeadcafe/0x10000000`,
+	`0x.1234P+12 = 0x1234/0x10`,
+
+	`0x0p0 = 0.`,
+	`0Xdeadcafep+1 = 0x1bd5b95fc`,
+	`0x1234P-10 = 0x1234/1024`,
+
+	`0x0.0p0 = 0.`,
+	`0Xdead.cafep+1 = 0x1bd5b95fc/0x10000`,
+	`0x12.34P-10 = 0x1234/0x40000`,
+
+	`0Xdead_cafep+1 = 0xdeadcafep+1`,
+	`0x_1234P-10 = 0x1234p-10`,
+
+	`0X_dead_cafe.p-10 = 0xdeadcafe.p-10`,
+	`0x12_34.P1_2_3 = 0x1234.p123`,
+}
+
+var imagTests = []string{
+	`1_234i = 1234i`,
+	`1_234_567i = 1234567i`,
+
+	`0.i = 0i`,
+	`123.i = 123i`,
+	`0123.i = 123i`,
+
+	`0.e+1i = 0i`,
+	`123.E-1_0i = 123e-10i`,
+	`01_23.e123i = 123e123i`,
+}
+
+func testNumbers(t *testing.T, kind token.Token, tests []string) {
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		a := strings.Split(test, " = ")
+		if len(a) != 2 {
+			t.Errorf("invalid test case: %s", test)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		x := MakeFromLiteral(a[0], kind, 0)
+		var y Value
+		if i := strings.Index(a[1], "/"); i >= 0 && kind == token.FLOAT {
+			n := MakeFromLiteral(a[1][:i], token.INT, 0)
+			d := MakeFromLiteral(a[1][i+1:], token.INT, 0)
+			y = BinaryOp(n, token.QUO, d)
+		} else {
+			y = MakeFromLiteral(a[1], kind, 0)
+		}
+
+		xk := x.Kind()
+		yk := y.Kind()
+		if xk != yk || xk == Unknown {
+			t.Errorf("%s: got kind %d != %d", test, xk, yk)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if !Compare(x, token.EQL, y) {
+			t.Errorf("%s: %s != %s", test, x, y)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNumbers verifies that differently written literals
+// representing the same number do have the same value.
+func TestNumbers(t *testing.T) {
+	testNumbers(t, token.INT, intTests)
+	testNumbers(t, token.FLOAT, floatTests)
+	testNumbers(t, token.IMAG, imagTests)
+}
 
 var opTests = []string{
 	// unary operations