diff --git a/packages/angular/cli/src/commands/generate/cli.ts b/packages/angular/cli/src/commands/generate/cli.ts
index 8f605e03a18b..bc32d7e197ed 100644
--- a/packages/angular/cli/src/commands/generate/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/cli/src/commands/generate/cli.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export default class GenerateCommandModule
       builder: (localYargs) =>
         localYargs
           .positional('schematic', {
-            describe: 'The [collection:schematic] to run.',
+            describe: 'The `[collection:schematic]` to run.',
             type: 'string',
             demandOption: true,
           })