diff --git a/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs b/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
index 4725272d2b69a..62a31133a5499 100644
--- a/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/traits/error_reporting.rs
@@ -654,6 +654,7 @@ impl<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> TyCtxt<'a, 'gcx, 'tcx> {
         let mut err = struct_span_err!(self.sess, span, E0072,
                                        "recursive type `{}` has infinite size",
                                        self.item_path_str(type_def_id));
+        err.span_label(span, &format!("recursive type has infinite size"));
         err.help(&format!("insert indirection (e.g., a `Box`, `Rc`, or `&`) \
                            at some point to make `{}` representable",
                           self.item_path_str(type_def_id)));
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/E0072.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/E0072.rs
index 2f96ba1046d74..e6de7921b3036 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/E0072.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/E0072.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // except according to those terms.
 
 struct ListNode { //~ ERROR E0072
+                  //~| NOTE recursive type has infinite size
     head: u8,
     tail: Option<ListNode>,
 }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3008-2.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3008-2.rs
index e6cc29634a1e8..38b5fcbb3db0e 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3008-2.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3008-2.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 enum foo { foo_(bar) }
 struct bar { x: bar }
 //~^ ERROR E0072
+//~| NOTE recursive type has infinite size
 
 fn main() {
 }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-32326.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-32326.rs
index 8af243afc2299..afffe2a2c8d03 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-32326.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-32326.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 // too big.
 
 enum Expr { //~ ERROR E0072
+            //~| NOTE recursive type has infinite size
     Plus(Expr, Expr),
     Literal(i64),
 }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3779.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3779.rs
index d96b1a1cbe35b..71e9325ab75d1 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3779.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-3779.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // except according to those terms.
 
 struct S { //~ ERROR E0072
+           //~| NOTE recursive type has infinite size
     element: Option<S>
 }
 
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/type-recursive.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/type-recursive.rs
index 4bb739800df36..7b56c6c15ebb3 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/type-recursive.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/type-recursive.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // except according to those terms.
 
 struct t1 { //~ ERROR E0072
+            //~| NOTE recursive type has infinite size
     foo: isize,
     foolish: t1
 }