diff --git a/doc/lispref/ChangeLog b/doc/lispref/ChangeLog
index 9c8a76faf7c..f33acfba610 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/ChangeLog
+++ b/doc/lispref/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 2011-07-11  Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen  <larsi@gnus.org>
 
+	* syntax.texi (Syntax Descriptors): Clarify that the ". 23" syntax
+	description is a string (bug#3313).
+
 	* frames.texi (Display Feature Testing): Try to explain what all
 	the visual classes mean (bug#3042).
 
diff --git a/doc/lispref/syntax.texi b/doc/lispref/syntax.texi
index 6582a8dfb0c..31ee7eb4e7d 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/syntax.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/syntax.texi
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ Then come the characters for any desired flags.  If no matching
 character or flags are needed, one character is sufficient.
 
   For example, the syntax descriptor for the character @samp{*} in C
-mode is @samp{@w{. 23}} (i.e., punctuation, matching character slot
+mode is @code{". 23"} (i.e., punctuation, matching character slot
 unused, second character of a comment-starter, first character of a
 comment-ender), and the entry for @samp{/} is @samp{@w{. 14}} (i.e.,
 punctuation, matching character slot unused, first character of a