diff --git a/src/Psalm/Checker/TypeChecker.php b/src/Psalm/Checker/TypeChecker.php
index 149c0dbdb..86a5bbbca 100644
--- a/src/Psalm/Checker/TypeChecker.php
+++ b/src/Psalm/Checker/TypeChecker.php
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TMixed;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TNamedObject;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TNull;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TNumeric;
+use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TNumericString;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TObject;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TResource;
 use Psalm\Type\Atomic\TScalar;
@@ -508,6 +509,16 @@ class TypeChecker
             return true;
         }
 
+        if ($container_type_part instanceof TString && $input_type_part instanceof TNumericString) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ($container_type_part instanceof TNumericString && $input_type_part instanceof TString) {
+            $type_coerced = true;
+
+            return false;
+        }
+
         if ($container_type_part instanceof TClassString && $input_type_part instanceof TString) {
             if (\Psalm\Config::getInstance()->allow_coercion_from_string_to_class_const) {
                 $type_coerced = true;
diff --git a/src/Psalm/Type.php b/src/Psalm/Type.php
index 2dc11cd6d..c55312f14 100644
--- a/src/Psalm/Type.php
+++ b/src/Psalm/Type.php
@@ -45,10 +45,6 @@ abstract class Type
         // remove all unacceptable characters
         $type_string = preg_replace('/[^A-Za-z0-9\-_\\\\&|\? \<\>\{\}:,\]\[\(\)\$]/', '', trim($type_string));
 
-        if (strpos($type_string, '[') !== false) {
-            $type_string = self::convertSquareBrackets($type_string);
-        }
-
         $type_string = preg_replace('/\?(?=[a-zA-Z])/', 'null|', $type_string);
 
         $type_tokens = self::tokenize($type_string);
@@ -337,14 +333,10 @@ abstract class Type
         Aliases $aliases,
         array $template_types = null
     ) {
-        if (strpos($return_type, '[') !== false) {
-            $return_type = self::convertSquareBrackets($return_type);
-        }
-
         $return_type_tokens = self::tokenize($return_type);
 
         foreach ($return_type_tokens as $i => &$return_type_token) {
-            if (in_array($return_type_token, ['<', '>', '|', '?', ',', '{', '}', ':'], true)) {
+            if (in_array($return_type_token, ['<', '>', '|', '?', ',', '{', '}', ':', '[', ']'], true)) {
                 continue;
             }
 
@@ -405,35 +397,6 @@ abstract class Type
         return ($namespace ? $namespace . '\\' : '') . $class;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * @param  string $type
-     *
-     * @return string
-     */
-    public static function convertSquareBrackets($type)
-    {
-        $class_chars = '[a-zA-Z0-9\<\>\\\\_]+';
-
-        return preg_replace_callback(
-            '/(' . $class_chars . '|' . '\((' . $class_chars . '(\|' . $class_chars . ')*' . ')\))((\[\])+)/',
-            /**
-             * @return string
-             */
-            function (array $matches) {
-                $inner_type = str_replace(['(', ')'], '', (string)$matches[1]);
-
-                $dimensionality = strlen((string)$matches[4]) / 2;
-
-                for ($i = 0; $i < $dimensionality; ++$i) {
-                    $inner_type = 'array<mixed,' . $inner_type . '>';
-                }
-
-                return $inner_type;
-            },
-            $type
-        );
-    }
-
     /**
      * @return Type\Union
      */
diff --git a/tests/TypeReconciliationTest.php b/tests/TypeReconciliationTest.php
index 8637dfb13..010cdb14b 100644
--- a/tests/TypeReconciliationTest.php
+++ b/tests/TypeReconciliationTest.php
@@ -739,6 +739,20 @@ class TypeReconciliationTest extends TestCase
                         print_field($array);
                     }',
             ],
+            'numericOrStringPropertySet' => [
+                '<?php
+                    /**
+                     * @param string|null $b
+                     * @psalm-suppress DocblockTypeContradiction
+                     */
+                    function foo($b = null) : void {
+                        if (is_numeric($b) || is_string($b)) {
+                            takesNullableString($b);
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    function takesNullableString(?string $s) : void {}',
+            ],
         ];
     }