diff --git a/lisp/use-package/use-package.el b/lisp/use-package/use-package.el
index aeb39b4c343..96137c3c78d 100644
--- a/lisp/use-package/use-package.el
+++ b/lisp/use-package/use-package.el
@@ -803,7 +803,7 @@ deferred until the prefix key sequence is pressed."
 (defun use-package-normalize-mode (name keyword args)
   (use-package-as-one (symbol-name keyword) args
     (apply-partially #'use-package-normalize-pairs
-                     #'stringp #'symbolp
+                     #'stringp (lambda (m) (and (not (null m)) (symbolp m)))
                      name)))
 
 (defalias 'use-package-normalize/:interpreter 'use-package-normalize-mode)
diff --git a/test/lisp/use-package/use-package-tests.el b/test/lisp/use-package/use-package-tests.el
index aa9f542a803..d3deef995b1 100644
--- a/test/lisp/use-package/use-package-tests.el
+++ b/test/lisp/use-package/use-package-tests.el
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@
                  '((".foo" . foopkg) (".bar" . foopkg))))
   (should (equal (use-package-normalize-mode 'foopkg :mode '((".foo" ".bar")))
                  '((".foo" . foopkg) (".bar" . foopkg))))
+  (should (equal (use-package-normalize-mode 'foopkg :mode '((".foo")))
+                 '((".foo" . foopkg))))
   (should (equal (use-package-normalize-mode 'foopkg :mode '((".foo" . foo) (".bar" . bar)))
                  '((".foo" . foo) (".bar" . bar)))))