diff --git a/share/completions/sysctl.fish b/share/completions/sysctl.fish
index a4cb997e7..758d19a1b 100644
--- a/share/completions/sysctl.fish
+++ b/share/completions/sysctl.fish
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ if type -q -f sysctl
 	if sysctl -h >/dev/null ^/dev/null
 		# Print sysctl keys and values, separated by a tab
 		function __fish_sysctl_values
-			sysctl -a ^/dev/null | tr " = " "\t"
+			sysctl -a ^/dev/null | string replace -a " = " "\t"
 		end
 
 		complete -c sysctl -a '(__fish_sysctl_values)' -f
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ if type -q -f sysctl
 	else
 		# OSX sysctl
 		function __fish_sysctl_values
-			sysctl -a ^/dev/null | tr ":" "\t"
+			sysctl -a ^/dev/null | string replace -a ":" "\t"
 		end
 
 		complete -c sysctl -a '(__fish_sysctl_values)' -f
diff --git a/share/functions/__fish_complete_subcommand.fish b/share/functions/__fish_complete_subcommand.fish
index 244d1a231..4707450fc 100644
--- a/share/functions/__fish_complete_subcommand.fish
+++ b/share/functions/__fish_complete_subcommand.fish
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ function __fish_complete_subcommand  -d "Complete subcommand" --no-scope-shadowi
     switch "$argv[1]"
         case '--fcs-skip=*'
             set -l rest
-            echo $argv[1] | tr = ' ' | read test skip_next
+            string replace -a = ' ' -- $argv[1] | read test skip_next
             set -e argv[1]
     end
 
diff --git a/share/functions/__fish_print_interfaces.fish b/share/functions/__fish_print_interfaces.fish
index bb3dbbd98..e08db81da 100644
--- a/share/functions/__fish_print_interfaces.fish
+++ b/share/functions/__fish_print_interfaces.fish
@@ -5,6 +5,6 @@ function __fish_print_interfaces --description "Print a list of known network in
 			echo $i
 		end
 	else # OSX/BSD
-		command ifconfig -l | tr ' ' '\n'
+		command ifconfig -l | string split ' '
 	end
 end
diff --git a/share/functions/down-or-search.fish b/share/functions/down-or-search.fish
index e3a9ccb3d..967342391 100644
--- a/share/functions/down-or-search.fish
+++ b/share/functions/down-or-search.fish
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ function down-or-search -d "Depending on cursor position and current mode, eithe
 	# If we are on the bottom line, start search mode,
 	# otherwise move down
 	set lineno (commandline -L)
-	set line_count (commandline | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+	set line_count (count (commandline))
 
 	switch $lineno
 		case $line_count