diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
index 544bc95ff9..c2e48df9f9 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ function validateNode(route: Route): void {
   if (route.redirectTo === undefined && !route.component && !route.children &&
       !route.loadChildren) {
     throw new Error(
-        `Invalid configuration of route '${route.path}': component, redirectTo, children, loadChildren must be provided`);
+        `Invalid configuration of route '${route.path}': one of the following must be provided (component or redirectTo or children or loadChildren)`);
   }
   if (route.path === undefined) {
     throw new Error(`Invalid route configuration: routes must have path specified`);
diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
index c85377a0f9..36c8378c0b 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ describe('config', () => {
     it('should throw when none of component and children or direct are missing', () => {
       expect(() => { validateConfig([{path: 'a'}]); })
           .toThrowError(
-              `Invalid configuration of route 'a': component, redirectTo, children, loadChildren must be provided`);
+              `Invalid configuration of route 'a': one of the following must be provided (component or redirectTo or children or loadChildren)`);
     });
 
     it('should throw when path starts with a slash', () => {