diff --git a/Lib/venv/__init__.py b/Lib/venv/__init__.py
--- a/Lib/venv/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/venv/__init__.py
@@ -52,16 +52,17 @@ class EnvBuilder:
         """
         Create a virtual environment in a directory.
 
         :param env_dir: The target directory to create an environment in.
 
         """
         env_dir = os.path.abspath(env_dir)
         context = self.ensure_directories(env_dir)
+        self.check_path(env_dir)
         self.create_configuration(context)
         self.setup_python(context)
         if self.with_pip:
             self._setup_pip(context)
         if not self.upgrade:
             self.setup_scripts(context)
             self.post_setup(context)
 
@@ -124,16 +125,22 @@ class EnvBuilder:
             if not os.path.exists(link_path):   # Issue #21643
                 os.symlink('lib', link_path)
         context.bin_path = binpath = os.path.join(env_dir, binname)
         context.bin_name = binname
         context.env_exe = os.path.join(binpath, exename)
         create_if_needed(binpath)
         return context
 
+    def check_path(self, env_dir):
+        # space and tab is broken for most UNIX-like systems, and # is broken
+        # on macOS
+        if ' ' in env_dir or '\t' in env_dir or '#' in env_dir:
+            logger.warning('Paths with space, tab or # may break Python scripts')
+
     def create_configuration(self, context):
         """
         Create a configuration file indicating where the environment's Python
         was copied from, and whether the system site-packages should be made
         available in the environment.
 
         :param context: The information for the environment creation request
                         being processed.