diff --git a/src/frontend/com_let.c b/src/frontend/com_let.c
index 6e8b26da2..d6edb7c22 100644
--- a/src/frontend/com_let.c
+++ b/src/frontend/com_let.c
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ com_let(wordlist *wl)
     char *p, *q, *s;
     int indices[MAXDIMS];
     int numdims;
-    wordlist fake_wl;
     int need_open;
     int offset, length;
     struct pnode *names;
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ com_let(wordlist *wl)
     int newvec;
     char *rhs;
 
-    fake_wl.wl_next = NULL;
 
     if (!wl) {
         com_display(NULL);
@@ -80,8 +78,7 @@ com_let(wordlist *wl)
 
             /* evaluate expression between s and q */
             /* va, indexing */
-            fake_wl.wl_word = s;
-            names = ft_getpnames(&fake_wl, TRUE);
+            names = ft_getpnames_from_string(s, TRUE);
             if (!names) {
                 /* XXX error message */
                 tfree(p);
@@ -130,10 +127,9 @@ com_let(wordlist *wl)
     }
 
     /* evaluate rhs */
-    fake_wl.wl_word = rhs;
-    names = ft_getpnames(&fake_wl, TRUE);
+    names = ft_getpnames_from_string(rhs, TRUE);
     if (names == NULL) {
-        /* XXX error message */
+        fprintf(cp_err, "Error: RHS \"%s\" invalid\n", rhs);
         tfree(p);
         return;
     }
diff --git a/src/frontend/evaluate.c b/src/frontend/evaluate.c
index 3dca17c92..7d6bda087 100644
--- a/src/frontend/evaluate.c
+++ b/src/frontend/evaluate.c
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ op_ind(struct pnode *arg1, struct pnode *arg2)
 
 /* Apply a function to an argument. Complex functions are called as follows:
  *  cx_something(data, type, length, &newlength, &newtype),
- *  and returns a char * that is cast to complex or double.
+ *  and returns a void * that is cast to complex or double.
  */
 
 static void *
diff --git a/src/frontend/parse.c b/src/frontend/parse.c
index 16d62c724..c4e2f775a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/parse.c
+++ b/src/frontend/parse.c
@@ -30,26 +30,16 @@ void db_print_pnode_tree(struct pnode *p, char *print);
 
 
 struct pnode *
-ft_getpnames(wordlist *wl, bool check)
+ft_getpnames_from_string(const char *sz, bool check)
 {
-    struct pnode *pn = NULL;
-    char *xsbuf, *sbuf;
-    int rv;
+    struct pnode *pn;
 
-    if (!wl) {
-        fprintf(cp_err, "Warning: NULL arithmetic expression\n");
-        return (NULL);
+    /* The first argument to PPparse is not const char **, but it does not
+     * appear to modify the string that is being parsed */
+    if (PPparse((char **) &sz, &pn) != 0) {
+        return (struct pnode *) NULL;
     }
 
-    xsbuf = sbuf = wl_flatten(wl);
-
-    rv = PPparse(&sbuf, &pn);
-
-    tfree(xsbuf);
-
-    if (rv)
-        return (NULL);
-
     /* If validation is requested, do it and return NULL on failure. The
      * structure must also be freed if the check fails since it is not
      * being returned. */
@@ -58,7 +48,26 @@ ft_getpnames(wordlist *wl, bool check)
         return (struct pnode *) NULL;
     }
 
-    return (pn);
+    return pn;
+} /* end of function ft_getpnames_from_string */
+
+
+
+struct pnode *
+ft_getpnames(const wordlist *wl, bool check)
+{
+    /* Validate input */
+    if (!wl) {
+        (void) fprintf(cp_err, "Warning: NULL arithmetic expression\n");
+        return (struct pnode *) NULL;
+    }
+
+    /* Convert the list to a string then parse the string */
+    const char * const sz = wl_flatten(wl);
+    struct pnode * const pn = ft_getpnames_from_string(sz, check);
+    txfree((void *) sz);
+
+    return pn; /* Return the parsed result */
 } /* end of function ft_getpnames */
 
 
diff --git a/src/include/ngspice/fteext.h b/src/include/ngspice/fteext.h
index d8b5aafd6..6c35ae118 100644
--- a/src/include/ngspice/fteext.h
+++ b/src/include/ngspice/fteext.h
@@ -268,7 +268,8 @@ extern bool ft_stricterror;
 extern struct func ft_funcs[];
 extern struct func func_not;
 extern struct func func_uminus;
-extern struct pnode *ft_getpnames(wordlist *wl, bool check);
+extern struct pnode *ft_getpnames(const wordlist *wl, bool check);
+struct pnode *ft_getpnames_from_string(const char *sz, bool check);
 extern struct pnode *alloc_pnode(void);
 #define free_pnode(ptr)                         \
     do {                                        \