diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
index c3d12881d42..8e3086b5151 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
@@ -905,6 +905,10 @@ void RBBITest::TestExtended() {
         case PARSE_DATA:
             if (c == u'•') {
                 int32_t  breakIdx = tp.dataToBreak.length();
+                if (tp.expectedBreaks->size() > breakIdx) {
+                    errln("rbbitst.txt:%d:%d adjacent expected breaks with no intervening test text",
+                          lineNum, column);
+                }
                 tp.expectedBreaks->setSize(breakIdx+1);
                 tp.expectedBreaks->setElementAt(-1, breakIdx);
                 tp.srcLine->setSize(breakIdx+1);
@@ -1069,6 +1073,10 @@ void RBBITest::TestExtended() {
                     tagValue = -1;
                 }
                 int32_t  breakIdx = tp.dataToBreak.length();
+                if (tp.expectedBreaks->size() > breakIdx) {
+                    errln("rbbitst.txt:%d:%d adjacent expected breaks with no intervening test text",
+                          lineNum, column);
+                }
                 tp.expectedBreaks->setSize(breakIdx+1);
                 tp.expectedBreaks->setElementAt(tagValue, breakIdx);
                 tp.srcLine->setSize(breakIdx+1);
diff --git a/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/RBBITestExtended.java b/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/RBBITestExtended.java
index a24d4ee26a3..d35195b49c2 100644
--- a/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/RBBITestExtended.java
+++ b/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/RBBITestExtended.java
@@ -245,6 +245,11 @@ public void TestExtended() {
         case PARSE_DATA:
             if (c == '•') {
                 int  breakIdx = tp.dataToBreak.length();
+                if (tp.expectedBreaks[breakIdx] != 0) {
+                    errln(String.format(
+                            "rbbitst.txt:%d:%d adjacent expected breaks with no intervening test text",
+                            lineNum, column));
+                }
                 tp.expectedBreaks[breakIdx] = -1;
                 tp.srcLine[breakIdx]        = lineNum;
                 tp.srcCol[breakIdx]         = column;
@@ -388,6 +393,11 @@ public void TestExtended() {
                     tagValue = -1;
                 }
                 int  breakIdx = tp.dataToBreak.length();
+                if (tp.expectedBreaks[breakIdx] != 0) {
+                    errln(String.format(
+                            "rbbitst.txt:%d:%d adjacent expected breaks with no intervening test text",
+                            lineNum, column));
+                }
                 tp.expectedBreaks[breakIdx] = tagValue;
                 tp.srcLine[breakIdx]        = lineNum;
                 tp.srcCol[breakIdx]         = column;
diff --git a/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/rbbitst.txt b/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/rbbitst.txt
index 9962f94e40a..98cf6883d72 100644
--- a/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/rbbitst.txt
+++ b/icu4j/main/tests/core/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/rbbi/rbbitst.txt
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@
 # वृद्धिसँग ;
 <data>•वृ•द्धि•सँ•ग•</data>
 # अंतःज्ञानी  ;
-<data>•अं•तः•ज्ञा•नी••</data>
+<data>•अं•तः•ज्ञा•नी• •</data>
 # गन्नदी॑धिम ;
 <data>•ग•न्न•दी॑•धि•म•</data>
 # प्प्रप॑द्ये॒ ;
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@
 # भर्तुर्भोगः ;
 <data>•भ•र्तु•र्भो•गः•</data>
 # शॆत्युल  ;
-<data>•शॆ•त्यु•ल••</data>
+<data>•शॆ•त्यु•ल• •</data>
 # महारॆन्य ;
 <data>•म•हा•रॆ•न्य•</data>
 # सॆक्युल ;