diff --git a/releasenotes.md b/releasenotes.md
index 3fc734298..5eb92de97 100644
--- a/releasenotes.md
+++ b/releasenotes.md
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 - Deprecate `@adhoc`, allow non-nested ad hoc generic types.
 - Constant bytes <=> char[] conversion should work #1514.
 - Infer now works across ternary.
-- Improved error message on invalid subscript index type #1535.
 
 ### Fixes
 - `Unsupported int[*] $x = { 1, 2, 3, 4 }` #1489.
@@ -26,6 +25,8 @@
 - Bug when defers and $if were combined in a macro, which would cause miscompilation.
 - Fixes to the CSV reader.
 - Crash returning struct or vector from function using ternary expression #1537.
+- Improved error message on invalid subscript index type #1535.
+- Improved error message when declaring a variable `void!`.
 
 ### Stdlib changes
 - Remove unintended print of `char[]` as String
diff --git a/src/compiler/sema_decls.c b/src/compiler/sema_decls.c
index dbf5a95fd..e28d47d3c 100755
--- a/src/compiler/sema_decls.c
+++ b/src/compiler/sema_decls.c
@@ -3659,21 +3659,17 @@ static bool sema_analyse_decl_type(SemaContext *context, Type *type, SourceSpan
 		case STORAGE_WILDCARD:
 			if (type_is_optional(type))
 			{
-				sema_error_at(context, span, "The use of 'void!' as a variable type is not permitted, use %s instead.",
-				              type_quoted_error_string(type_anyfault));
-			} else
-			{
-				sema_error_at(context, span, "The use of 'void' as a variable type is not permitted.");
+				RETURN_SEMA_ERROR_AT(span, "The use of 'void!' as a variable type is not permitted, "
+				                           "catch the error using 'if (catch err = foo) { ... }',"
+										   " or use '@catch(foo)' to convert it to an 'anyfault'.");
 			}
-			return false;
+			RETURN_SEMA_ERROR_AT(span, "The use of 'void' as a variable type is not permitted.");
 		case STORAGE_COMPILE_TIME:
-			sema_error_at(context, span, "The variable cannot have an compile time %s type.",
-			              type_quoted_error_string(type));
-			return false;
+			RETURN_SEMA_ERROR_AT(span, "The variable cannot have an compile time %s type.",
+			                     type_quoted_error_string(type));
 		case STORAGE_UNKNOWN:
-			sema_error_at(context, span, "%s has unknown size, and so it cannot be a variable type.",
-			              type_quoted_error_string(type));
-			return false;
+			RETURN_SEMA_ERROR_AT(span, "%s has unknown size, and so it cannot be a variable type.",
+			                     type_quoted_error_string(type));
 	}
 	UNREACHABLE
 }
diff --git a/src/compiler/sema_internal.h b/src/compiler/sema_internal.h
index 8a55fb9b0..f41bae556 100644
--- a/src/compiler/sema_internal.h
+++ b/src/compiler/sema_internal.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 #define SEMA_ERROR(_node, ...) sema_error_at(context, (_node)->span, __VA_ARGS__)
 #define RETURN_SEMA_ERROR(_node, ...) do { sema_error_at(context, (_node)->span, __VA_ARGS__); return false; } while (0)
+#define RETURN_SEMA_ERROR_AT(span__, ...) do { sema_error_at(context, span__, __VA_ARGS__); return false; } while (0)
 #ifdef NDEBUG
 #define ASSERT_SPANF(node__, check__, format__, ...) do { } while(0)
 #define ASSERT_SPAN(node__, check__) do { } while(0)