diff --git a/expand.cpp b/expand.cpp
index f927f3c0e..1d541a246 100644
--- a/expand.cpp
+++ b/expand.cpp
@@ -1034,7 +1034,7 @@ static int expand_variables(parser_t &parser, const wcstring &instr, std::vector
             {
                 if (errors)
                 {
-                    parse_util_expand_variable_error(instr, 0 /* global_token_pos */, c, errors);
+                    parse_util_expand_variable_error(instr, 0 /* global_token_pos */, i, errors);
                 }
 
                 is_ok = false;
diff --git a/tests/expansion.err b/tests/expansion.err
index e60c203d5..5fcc58e08 100644
--- a/tests/expansion.err
+++ b/tests/expansion.err
@@ -28,3 +28,6 @@ fish: echo ()[1]
 Invalid index value
 fish: echo ()[d]
               ^
+$) is not a valid variable in fish.
+fish: echo $$paren
+            ^
diff --git a/tests/expansion.in b/tests/expansion.in
index b43fd3bf8..2b6d93760 100644
--- a/tests/expansion.in
+++ b/tests/expansion.in
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ echo $foo[d]
 echo ()[1]
 echo ()[d]
 
+echo "Catch your breath"
+set paren ')'
+echo $$paren
+
 # Test tilde expansion
 # On OS X, /tmp is symlinked to /private/tmp
 # $PWD is our best bet for resolving it
diff --git a/tests/expansion.out b/tests/expansion.out
index fe594539c..9fd68a041 100644
--- a/tests/expansion.out
+++ b/tests/expansion.out
@@ -40,3 +40,4 @@
 0
 1 
 0
+Catch your breath