diff --git a/rev-list.c b/rev-list.c
index 825006374a0..0d3c7741a59 100644
--- a/rev-list.c
+++ b/rev-list.c
@@ -462,11 +462,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			limited = 1;
 			continue;
 		}
-		if (!strncmp(arg, "--merge-order", 13)) {
+		if (!strcmp(arg, "--merge-order")) {
 		        merge_order = 1;
 			continue;
 		}
-		if (!strncmp(arg, "--show-breaks", 13)) {
+		if (!strcmp(arg, "--show-breaks")) {
 			show_breaks = 1;
 			continue;
 		}