missing ) JavaScript Origin: On your device Last updated 9 Oct 2026

SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list

A function call’s parentheses are unbalanced — often an unescaped quote or a missing comma/plus.

Exact message you may see missing ) after argument list
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Seen on: JavaScript

Meaning

The parser thinks the argument list ended early. Quotes inside strings, missing + in concatenation and stray characters are typical.

Common causes

  • Unescaped quote inside a string
  • Missing + or , between arguments
  • Unbalanced parentheses

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Use template literals for strings with quotes
  2. Check the exact line and column
  3. Format with Prettier to reveal structure

Detailed fix by platform

JavaScript

  1. Use a template literal: alert(It's ${name}'s turn) — quotes inside need no escaping

How to diagnose

  1. Line — Which call?
  2. Quotes — Any unescaped quotes?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: On your device. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

already declared — SyntaxError: Identifier 'x' has already been declared (JavaScript)already declaredawait outside async — SyntaxError: await is only valid in async functions and the top level bodies of modules (JavaScript)await outside asyncGraphQL Syntax Error — GraphQL: Syntax Error: Expected Name, found <EOF> / Unexpected } (API)GraphQL Syntax Errorinvalid regex — SyntaxError: Invalid regular expression: /x/: Unterminated group (JavaScript)invalid regexinvalid token — SyntaxError: Invalid or unexpected token (JavaScript)invalid tokenSyntaxError — SyntaxError: invalid syntax (Python)SyntaxErrorunexpected end of input — SyntaxError: Unexpected end of input (JavaScript)unexpected end of inp…unexpected identifier — SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier (JavaScript)unexpected identifiermissing )

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