diff --git a/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt
index 3f7835f4a7..7422185bf5 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-check-ref-format.txt
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ imposes the following rules on how references are named:
 
 . They cannot contain a sequence `@{`.
 
-. They cannot contain a `\\`.
+. They cannot contain a `\`.
 
 These rules make it easy for shell script based tools to parse
 reference names, pathname expansion by the shell when a reference name is used