diff --git a/src/builtin.cpp b/src/builtin.cpp
index 18a5f37cf..62dd4623e 100644
--- a/src/builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin.cpp
@@ -496,8 +496,8 @@ void builtin_init() {
 bool builtin_exists(const wcstring &cmd) { return static_cast<bool>(builtin_lookup(cmd)); }
 
 /// Is the command a keyword we need to special-case the handling of `-h` and `--help`.
-static const wcstring_list_t help_builtins({L"for", L"while", L"function", L"if", L"end", L"switch",
-                                            L"case"});
+static const wchar_t *const help_builtins[] = {L"for", L"while",  L"function", L"if",
+                                               L"end", L"switch", L"case"};
 static bool cmd_needs_help(const wchar_t *cmd) { return contains(help_builtins, cmd); }
 
 /// Execute a builtin command
diff --git a/src/builtin_set.cpp b/src/builtin_set.cpp
index 8a4eaec1e..aea3801dc 100644
--- a/src/builtin_set.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin_set.cpp
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ static const struct woption long_options[] = {
     _(L"%ls: Universal variable '%ls' is shadowed by the global variable of the same name.\n")
 
 // Test if the specified variable should be subject to path validation.
-static const wcstring_list_t path_variables({L"PATH", L"CDPATH"});
+static const wchar_t *const path_variables[] = {L"PATH", L"CDPATH"};
 static int is_path_variable(const wchar_t *env) { return contains(path_variables, env); }
 
 static int parse_cmd_opts(set_cmd_opts_t &opts, int *optind,  //!OCLINT(high ncss method)
diff --git a/src/env.cpp b/src/env.cpp
index ed9df2b5e..635dffcb7 100644
--- a/src/env.cpp
+++ b/src/env.cpp
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ bool term_supports_setting_title() { return can_set_term_title; }
 /// One situation in which this breaks down is with screen, since screen supports setting the
 /// terminal title if the underlying terminal does so, but will print garbage on terminals that
 /// don't. Since we can't see the underlying terminal below screen there is no way to fix this.
-static const wcstring_list_t title_terms({L"xterm", L"screen", L"tmux", L"nxterm", L"rxvt"});
+static const wchar_t *const title_terms[] = {L"xterm", L"screen", L"tmux", L"nxterm", L"rxvt"};
 static bool does_term_support_setting_title() {
     const auto term_var = env_get(L"TERM");
     if (term_var.missing_or_empty()) return false;
diff --git a/src/parser_keywords.cpp b/src/parser_keywords.cpp
index 12676c266..98d400325 100644
--- a/src/parser_keywords.cpp
+++ b/src/parser_keywords.cpp
@@ -11,18 +11,19 @@ bool parser_keywords_skip_arguments(const wcstring &cmd) {
     return cmd == L"else" || cmd == L"begin";
 }
 
-static const wcstring_list_t subcommand_keywords({L"command", L"builtin", L"while", L"exec", L"if",
-                                                  L"and", L"or", L"not"});
+static const wchar_t *const subcommand_keywords[] = {L"command", L"builtin", L"while", L"exec",
+                                                     L"if",      L"and",     L"or",    L"not"};
 bool parser_keywords_is_subcommand(const wcstring &cmd) {
     return parser_keywords_skip_arguments(cmd) || contains(subcommand_keywords, cmd);
 }
 
-static const wcstring_list_t block_keywords({L"for", L"while", L"if", L"function", L"switch",
-                                             L"begin"});
+static const wchar_t *const block_keywords[] = {L"for",      L"while",  L"if",
+                                                L"function", L"switch", L"begin"};
 bool parser_keywords_is_block(const wcstring &word) { return contains(block_keywords, word); }
 
-static const wcstring_list_t reserved_keywords({L"end", L"case", L"else", L"return", L"continue",
-                                                L"break", L"argparse", L"read", L"set", L"status", L"test", L"["});
+static const wchar_t *const reserved_keywords[] = {L"end",      L"case",   L"else",     L"return",
+                                                   L"continue", L"break",  L"argparse", L"read",
+                                                   L"set",      L"status", L"test",     L"["};
 bool parser_keywords_is_reserved(const wcstring &word) {
     return parser_keywords_is_block(word) || parser_keywords_is_subcommand(word) ||
            contains(reserved_keywords, word);