diff --git a/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test b/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
index 2c16a7e5f..211b6cf3c 100644
--- a/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
+++ b/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-; ignore the binary we are invoked with
+# ignore the binary we are invoked with
 -f/dev/null; echo "2009/1/32" | hledger add 2>&1 | tail -1 | sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g'
 >>>
 date : date : 
diff --git a/tests/add-blank-date.test b/tests/add-blank-date.test
index 23d14689c..d2e312c05 100644
--- a/tests/add-blank-date.test
+++ b/tests/add-blank-date.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-; ignore the binary we are invoked with
+# ignore the binary we are invoked with
 -f/dev/null; echo | hledger add 2>&1 |tail -1 |sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g'
 >>>
 date : description: 
diff --git a/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test b/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
index 2975766d4..a1fb80988 100644
--- a/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
+++ b/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-; ignore the binary we are invoked with
+# ignore the binary we are invoked with
 -f/dev/null; printf "\n\n" | hledger add 2>&1 |tail -1 | sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g'
 >>>
 date : description: description: 
diff --git a/tests/unbalanced.test b/tests/unbalanced.test
index 20f6dbee7..549e5b48d 100644
--- a/tests/unbalanced.test
+++ b/tests/unbalanced.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-; shouldn't exit code be 1 ?
+# shouldn't exit code be 1 ?
 register
 <<<
 2009/1/1 a