diff --git a/builtin_set.cpp b/builtin_set.cpp
index df657b62e..bf0ea008c 100644
--- a/builtin_set.cpp
+++ b/builtin_set.cpp
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ static void print_variables(int include_values, int esc, bool shorten_ok, int sc
 
                 if (shorten)
                 {
-                    stdout_buffer.append(L"\u2026");
+                    stdout_buffer.push_back(ellipsis_char);
                 }
 
             }