diff --git a/applications/test/dictionary/testDictList b/applications/test/dictionary/testDictList
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d0e1171bc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/applications/test/dictionary/testDictList
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/*--------------------------------*- C++ -*----------------------------------*\
+| =========                 |                                                 |
+| \\      /  F ield         | OpenFOAM: The Open Source CFD Toolbox           |
+|  \\    /   O peration     | Version:  plus                                  |
+|   \\  /    A nd           | Web:      www.OpenFOAM.com                      |
+|    \\/     M anipulation  |                                                 |
+\*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+FoamFile
+{
+    version     2.0;
+    format      ascii;
+    class       dictionary;
+    object      testDict;
+}
+// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //
+// Test some parsing
+
+// #default
+internalField   uniform 10;
+// #default
+dimensions      [ 0 2 -2 0 0 0 0 ];
+
+active
+{
+    type            turbulentIntensityKineticEnergyInlet;
+    intensity       0.1;
+    value           $internalField;
+}
+
+// #inputMode error
+active
+{
+    type            turbulentIntensityKineticEnergyInlet;
+    intensity       0.1;
+    value           100;
+}
+
+(U|k|epsilon|omega)
+{
+    solver          smoothSolver;
+    smoother        symGaussSeidel;
+    tolerance       1e-6;
+    relTol          0;
+}
+/*
+;
+ */
+
+(rho)  smoothSolver
+
+//OK     smoothSolver    // <- missing ';' as well
+
+
+// * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * //
diff --git a/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/dictionaryListEntry/dictionaryListEntryIO.C b/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/dictionaryListEntry/dictionaryListEntryIO.C
index 5043a206c2..c368e68035 100644
--- a/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/dictionaryListEntry/dictionaryListEntryIO.C
+++ b/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/dictionaryListEntry/dictionaryListEntryIO.C
@@ -60,11 +60,11 @@ Foam::dictionaryListEntry::dictionaryListEntry
     token firstToken(is);
     if (firstToken.isLabel())
     {
-        label s = firstToken.labelToken();
+        const label sz = firstToken.labelToken();
 
         is.readBeginList("List");
 
-        for (label i=0; i<s; i++)
+        for (label i=0; i<sz; ++i)
         {
             entry::New(*this, is);
         }
@@ -79,7 +79,13 @@ Foam::dictionaryListEntry::dictionaryListEntry
         while (true)
         {
             token nextToken(is);
-            if
+            if (nextToken.error())
+            {
+                FatalIOErrorInFunction(is)
+                    << "parsing error " << nextToken.info()
+                    << exit(FatalIOError);
+            }
+            else if
             (
                 nextToken.isPunctuation()
              && nextToken.pToken() == token::END_LIST
diff --git a/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/entry/entryIO.C b/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/entry/entryIO.C
index a153e4bd3e..e4a5a1a73b 100644
--- a/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/entry/entryIO.C
+++ b/src/OpenFOAM/db/dictionary/entry/entryIO.C
@@ -246,6 +246,15 @@ bool Foam::entry::New(dictionary& parentDict, Istream& is)
             token nextToken(is);
             is.putBack(nextToken);
 
+            if (nextToken == token::END_LIST)
+            {
+                FatalIOErrorInFunction(is)
+                    << "Unexpected token encountered for "
+                    << keyword << " - " << nextToken.info()
+                    << exit(FatalIOError);
+                return false;
+            }
+
             // Deal with duplicate entries
             bool mergeEntry = false;
 
@@ -288,7 +297,7 @@ bool Foam::entry::New(dictionary& parentDict, Istream& is)
                 else if (functionEntries::inputModeEntry::error())
                 {
                     FatalIOErrorInFunction(is)
-                        << "ERROR! duplicate entry: " << keyword
+                        << "duplicate entry: " << keyword
                         << exit(FatalIOError);
 
                     return false;
@@ -320,33 +329,28 @@ Foam::autoPtr<Foam::entry> Foam::entry::New(Istream& is)
 {
     is.fatalCheck(FUNCTION_NAME);
 
-    keyType keyword;
+    autoPtr<entry> ptr(nullptr);
 
     // Get the next keyword and if invalid return false
-    if (!getKeyword(keyword, is))
-    {
-        return autoPtr<entry>(nullptr);
-    }
-    else // Keyword starts entry ...
+    keyType keyword;
+    if (getKeyword(keyword, is))
     {
+        // Keyword starts entry ...
         token nextToken(is);
         is.putBack(nextToken);
 
         if (nextToken == token::BEGIN_BLOCK)
         {
-            return autoPtr<entry>
-            (
-                new dictionaryEntry(keyword, dictionary::null, is)
-            );
+            // A sub-dictionary
+            ptr.reset(new dictionaryEntry(keyword, dictionary::null, is));
         }
         else
         {
-            return autoPtr<entry>
-            (
-                new primitiveEntry(keyword, is)
-            );
+            ptr.reset(new primitiveEntry(keyword, is));
         }
     }
+
+    return ptr;
 }