diff --git a/include/verilated.cpp b/include/verilated.cpp
index f1565a506..ece3347ff 100644
--- a/include/verilated.cpp
+++ b/include/verilated.cpp
@@ -1282,7 +1282,7 @@ void _vl_vsformat(std::string& output, const std::string& format, int argc,
                     output += t_tmp;
                 } else if (formatAttr == VL_VFORMATATTR_STRING) {
                     const std::string* const strp = static_cast<const std::string*>(thingp);
-                    output += '"' + *strp + '"';
+                    output += VL_TO_STRING(*strp);
                 } else if (formatAttr == VL_VFORMATATTR_COMPLEX) {
                     const std::string* const strp = static_cast<const std::string*>(thingp);
                     output += *strp;
@@ -2488,6 +2488,30 @@ std::string VL_TO_STRING(QData lhs) {
 std::string VL_TO_STRING(double lhs) {
     return VL_SFORMATF_N_NX("%g", 1, VL_VFORMATATTR_DOUBLE, lhs);
 }
+std::string VL_TO_STRING(const std::string& obj) VL_PURE {
+    std::string out{"\""};
+    out.reserve(obj.size() + 2);
+    for (const unsigned char ch : obj) {
+        switch (ch) {
+        case '\n': out += "\\n"; break;
+        case '\r': out += "\\r"; break;
+        case '\t': out += "\\t"; break;
+        case '"': out += "\\\""; break;
+        case '\\': out += "\\\\"; break;
+        default:
+            if (std::isprint(ch)) {
+                out += static_cast<char>(ch);
+            } else {
+                out += '\\';
+                out += static_cast<char>('0' + ((ch >> 6) & 3));
+                out += static_cast<char>('0' + ((ch >> 3) & 7));
+                out += static_cast<char>('0' + (ch & 7));
+            }
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    return out + '"';
+}
 std::string VL_TO_STRING_W(int words, const WDataInP obj) {
     return VL_SFORMATF_N_NX("'h%0x", 1, VL_VFORMATATTR_UNSIGNED, words * VL_EDATASIZE, obj);
 }
diff --git a/include/verilated_types.h b/include/verilated_types.h
index 76a24d01b..dd2d25d99 100644
--- a/include/verilated_types.h
+++ b/include/verilated_types.h
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ extern std::string VL_TO_STRING(SData lhs);
 extern std::string VL_TO_STRING(IData lhs);
 extern std::string VL_TO_STRING(QData lhs);
 extern std::string VL_TO_STRING(double lhs);
-inline std::string VL_TO_STRING(const std::string& obj) { return "\"" + obj + "\""; }
+extern std::string VL_TO_STRING(const std::string& obj) VL_PURE;
 template <std::size_t N_Words>
 inline std::string VL_TO_STRING(const VlWide<N_Words>& obj) {
     return VL_TO_STRING_W(N_Words, obj);
diff --git a/src/V3Number.cpp b/src/V3Number.cpp
index 17eaac079..62d0a60c4 100644
--- a/src/V3Number.cpp
+++ b/src/V3Number.cpp
@@ -754,7 +754,8 @@ string V3Number::displayed(FileLine* fl, const string& vformat,
             (void)VL_SNPRINTF(tmp, MAX_SPRINTF_DOUBLE_SIZE, "%g", n);
             return tmp;
         }
-        if (formatAttr.isString()) return '"' + toString() + '"';
+        if (formatAttr.isString())
+            return '"' + V3OutFormatter::quoteNameControls(toString()) + '"';
         if (formatAttr.isComplex()) return toString();
         return "%p";
     }
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.py b/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a16833e52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test driver/expect definition
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+# under the terms of either the GNU Lesser General Public License Version 3
+# or the Perl Artistic License Version 2.0.
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Wilson Snyder
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-3.0-only OR Artistic-2.0
+
+import vltest_bootstrap
+
+test.scenarios('simulator_st')
+
+test.compile(verilator_flags2=['--binary'])
+
+test.execute()
+
+test.passes()
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.v b/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.v
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd6a03b06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_display_pattern_format.v
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+// DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test module
+//
+// This file ONLY is placed under the Creative Commons Public Domain.
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Wilson Snyder
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: CC0-1.0
+
+// verilog_format: off
+`define stop $stop
+`define checks(gotv,expv) do if ((gotv) != (expv)) begin $write("%%Error: %s:%0d:  got='%s' exp='%s'\n", `__FILE__,`__LINE__, (gotv), (expv)); `stop; end while(0);
+// verilog_format: on
+
+module t;
+  bit clk = 0;
+  always #5 clk = ~clk;
+  int cyc = 0;
+  typedef string text_t;
+
+  localparam text_t TEXT_PARAM = "quote=\" slash=\\ bell=\a form=\f vert=\v ctrl=\001";
+  localparam string ESCAPED_PARAM_STRING = $sformatf("%p", TEXT_PARAM);
+
+  initial begin
+`ifdef QUESTA
+    // Questa 2025.2 does not escape strings as required by IEEE 1800-2012 21.2.1.7.
+    `checks(ESCAPED_PARAM_STRING, {"\"", TEXT_PARAM, "\""});
+`else
+    `checks(ESCAPED_PARAM_STRING,
+            "\"quote=\\\" slash=\\\\ bell=\\007 form=\\014 vert=\\013 ctrl=\\001\"");
+`endif
+  end
+
+  always @(posedge clk) begin
+    text_t plain;
+    string escaped;
+    string escaped_expected;
+    string fmt;
+
+    plain = $sformatf("round %0d", cyc);
+    escaped = {"quote=\" slash=\\ line=\n cr=\r tab=\t bell=\a form=\f vert=\v ctrl=\001 ", plain};
+`ifdef QUESTA
+    escaped_expected = {"\"", escaped, "\""};
+`else
+    escaped_expected = {"\"quote=\\\" slash=\\\\ line=\\n cr=\\r tab=\\t bell=\\007 ",
+                        "form=\\014 vert=\\013 ctrl=\\001 ", plain, "\""};
+`endif
+    `checks($sformatf("%p", plain), {"\"", plain, "\""});
+    `checks($sformatf("%p", escaped), escaped_expected);
+    `checks($sformatf("%s", escaped), escaped);
+    fmt = cyc[0] ? "%p" : "%P";
+    `checks($sformatf(fmt, escaped), escaped_expected);
+    plain = "";
+    `checks($sformatf("%p", plain), "\"\"");
+
+    cyc <= cyc + 1;
+    if (cyc == 3) begin
+      $write("*-* All Finished *-*\n");
+      $finish;
+    end
+  end
+endmodule