diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6507d9344d..f7a8bd6a4c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -105,15 +105,15 @@ documentation: $(addprefix doc/, developer.html faq.html ffmpeg-doc.html \
                                  ffplay-doc.html ffprobe-doc.html ffserver-doc.html \
                                  general.html libavfilter.html $(ALLMANPAGES))
 
-doc/%.html: MSG = HTML
+doc/%.html: TAG = HTML
 doc/%.html: doc/%.texi
 	$(M)cd doc && texi2html -monolithic -number $(<:doc/%=%)
 
-doc/%.pod: MSG = POD
+doc/%.pod: TAG = POD
 doc/%.pod: doc/%-doc.texi
 	$(M)doc/texi2pod.pl $< $@
 
-doc/%.1: MSG = MAN
+doc/%.1: TAG = MAN
 doc/%.1: doc/%.pod
 	$(M)pod2man --section=1 --center=" " --release=" " $< > $@
 
diff --git a/common.mak b/common.mak
index dbd76dbe56..908d0e5f34 100644
--- a/common.mak
+++ b/common.mak
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ ECHO   = printf "$(1)\t%s\n" $(2)
 BRIEF  = CC AS YASM AR LD HOSTCC RANLIB STRIP CP
 SILENT = DEPCC YASMDEP RM
 MSG    = $@
-M      = @$(call ECHO,$(MSG),$@);
+M      = @$(call ECHO,$(TAG),$@);
 $(foreach VAR,$(BRIEF), \
     $(eval $(VAR) = @$$(call ECHO,$(VAR),$$(MSG)); $($(VAR))))
 $(foreach VAR,$(SILENT),$(eval $(VAR) = @$($(VAR))))
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ CFLAGS   += $(ECFLAGS)
 %.ver: %.v
 	$(Q)sed 's/$$MAJOR/$($(basename $(@F))_VERSION_MAJOR)/' $^ > $@
 
-%.c %.h: MSG = GEN
+%.c %.h: TAG = GEN
 
 install: install-libs install-headers
 install-libs: install-libs-yes