diff --git a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
index c4997348537f4..f41aa835a753b 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs
@@ -1532,9 +1532,8 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
         } else {
             let span = self.last_span;
             self.span_err(span,
-                          "bare raw pointers are no longer allowed, you should \
-                           likely use `*mut T`, but otherwise `*T` is now \
-                           known as `*const T`");
+                          "expected mut or const in raw pointer type (use \
+                           `*mut T` or `*const T` as appropriate)");
             Mutability::Immutable
         };
         let t = self.parse_ty()?;
diff --git a/src/test/parse-fail/bad-pointer-type.rs b/src/test/parse-fail/bad-pointer-type.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..cdb4d16fed22c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/parse-fail/bad-pointer-type.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z parse-only
+
+fn foo(_: *()) {
+    //~^ expected mut or const in raw pointer type (use `*mut T` or `*const T` as appropriate)
+}