diff --git a/src/reflect/all_test.go b/src/reflect/all_test.go
index 17104ad4fabe57..0db5e132172fd9 100644
--- a/src/reflect/all_test.go
+++ b/src/reflect/all_test.go
@@ -4371,7 +4371,7 @@ func TestConvertPanic(t *testing.T) {
 	if !v.Type().ConvertibleTo(pt) {
 		t.Errorf("[]byte should be convertible to *[8]byte")
 	}
-	shouldPanic("reflect: cannot convert slice with length 4 to array pointer with length 8", func() {
+	shouldPanic("reflect: cannot convert slice with length 4 to pointer to array with length 8", func() {
 		_ = v.Convert(pt)
 	})
 }
diff --git a/src/reflect/value.go b/src/reflect/value.go
index c963a407bcc80c..6ba6202a1a1b1b 100644
--- a/src/reflect/value.go
+++ b/src/reflect/value.go
@@ -3067,7 +3067,7 @@ func cvtSliceArrayPtr(v Value, t Type) Value {
 	n := t.Elem().Len()
 	h := (*unsafeheader.Slice)(v.ptr)
 	if n > h.Len {
-		panic("reflect: cannot convert slice with length " + itoa.Itoa(h.Len) + " to array pointer with length " + itoa.Itoa(n))
+		panic("reflect: cannot convert slice with length " + itoa.Itoa(h.Len) + " to pointer to array with length " + itoa.Itoa(n))
 	}
 	return Value{t.common(), h.Data, v.flag&^(flagIndir|flagAddr|flagKindMask) | flag(Ptr)}
 }