diff --git a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/stx.rktl b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/stx.rktl
index 2a3c417acf..012284b855 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/stx.rktl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/stx.rktl
@@ -2468,6 +2468,12 @@
   (check-bad (read (open-input-string "#0=(1 . #0#)")))
   (check-bad void))
 
+(err/rt-test (syntax-property #'+ 1 #'+ #t)
+             (lambda (exn)
+               (regexp-match
+                #rx"expected an interned symbol key for a preserved property"
+                (exn-message exn))))
+
 ;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 ;; Make sure the srcloc encoding doesn't do something strange
 ;; with a path in a root directory:
diff --git a/racket/src/racket/src/syntax.c b/racket/src/racket/src/syntax.c
index 617c3dc7c8..857c1c65c3 100644
--- a/racket/src/racket/src/syntax.c
+++ b/racket/src/racket/src/syntax.c
@@ -8229,7 +8229,7 @@ static Scheme_Object *syntax_property(int argc, Scheme_Object **argv)
   if ((argc > 3) && SCHEME_TRUEP(argv[3])) {
     if (!SCHEME_SYMBOLP(argv[1]) || SCHEME_SYM_WEIRDP(argv[1]))
       scheme_contract_error("syntax-property",
-                            "expected an interned symbol key for a preserved property"
+                            "expected an interned symbol key for a preserved property",
                             "given", 1, argv[1],
                             NULL);
   }