diff --git a/doc/lispref/searching.texi b/doc/lispref/searching.texi
index 3d7ea932863..5f4509a8b43 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/searching.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/searching.texi
@@ -1080,7 +1080,10 @@ Corresponding string regexp: @samp{@var{A}@var{B}@dots{}}
 @cindex @code{or} in rx
 @itemx @code{(| @var{rx}@dots{})}
 @cindex @code{|} in rx
-Match exactly one of the @var{rx}s, trying from left to right.
+Match exactly one of the @var{rx}s.
+If all arguments are string literals, the longest possible match
+will always be used.  Otherwise, either the longest match or the
+first (in left-to-right order) will be used.
 Without arguments, the expression will not match anything at all.@*
 Corresponding string regexp: @samp{@var{A}\|@var{B}\|@dots{}}.
 
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
index 03af053c91e..b4cab5715da 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ Return (REGEXP . PRECEDENCE)."
    ((null (cdr body))              ; Single item.
     (rx--translate (car body)))
    ((rx--every #'stringp body)     ; All strings.
-    (cons (list (regexp-opt body nil t))
+    (cons (list (regexp-opt body nil))
           t))
    ((rx--every #'rx--charset-p body)  ; All charsets.
     (rx--translate-union nil body))
diff --git a/test/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx-tests.el b/test/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx-tests.el
index e19e626527b..a6c172adfe7 100644
--- a/test/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx-tests.el
+++ b/test/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx-tests.el
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
   (should (equal (rx (or "ab" (| "c" nonl) "de"))
                  "ab\\|c\\|.\\|de"))
   (should (equal (rx (or "ab" "abc" "a"))
-                 "\\(?:ab\\|abc\\|a\\)"))
+                 "\\(?:a\\(?:bc?\\)?\\)"))
   (should (equal (rx (| nonl "a") (| "b" blank))
                  "\\(?:.\\|a\\)\\(?:b\\|[[:blank:]]\\)"))
   (should (equal (rx (|))