diff --git a/lib/utils.h b/lib/utils.h
index c8e7e6816..e70b7de35 100644
--- a/lib/utils.h
+++ b/lib/utils.h
@@ -89,15 +89,31 @@ bool endsWith(const std::string& str, const char (&end)[N])
 
 inline static bool isPrefixStringCharLiteral(const std::string &str, char q, const std::string& p)
 {
+    // str must be at least the prefix plus the start and end quote
+    if (str.length() < p.length() + 2)
+        return false;
+
+    // check for end quote
     if (!endsWith(str, q))
         return false;
-    if ((str.length() + 1) > p.length() && (str.compare(0, p.size() + 1, p + q) == 0))
-        return true;
-    return false;
+
+    // check for start quote
+    if (str[p.size()] != q)
+        return false;
+
+    // check for prefix
+    if (str.compare(0, p.size(), p) != 0)
+        return false;
+
+    return true;
 }
 
 inline static bool isStringCharLiteral(const std::string &str, char q)
 {
+    // early out to avoid the loop
+    if (!endsWith(str, q))
+        return false;
+
     static const std::array<std::string, 5> suffixes{"", "u8", "u", "U", "L"};
     for (const std::string & p: suffixes) {
         if (isPrefixStringCharLiteral(str, q, p))
diff --git a/test/testutils.cpp b/test/testutils.cpp
index 230b220f4..bdc12b217 100644
--- a/test/testutils.cpp
+++ b/test/testutils.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ private:
     void run() override {
         TEST_CASE(isValidGlobPattern);
         TEST_CASE(matchglob);
+        TEST_CASE(isStringLiteral);
+        TEST_CASE(isCharLiteral);
     }
 
     void isValidGlobPattern() const {
@@ -68,6 +70,114 @@ private:
         ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::matchglob("?y?", "xyz"));
         ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::matchglob("?/?/?", "x/y/z"));
     }
+
+    void isStringLiteral() const {
+        // empty
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral(""));
+
+        // no literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u8"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("U"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("L"));
+
+        // incomplete string literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u8\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("U\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("L\""));
+
+        // valid string literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u8\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("U\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("L\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u8\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("U\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("L\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u8\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("u\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("U\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isStringLiteral("L\"test\""));
+
+        // incomplete char literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u8'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("U'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("L'"));
+
+        // valid char literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("'t'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u8't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("U't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("L't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u8'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("u'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("U'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isStringLiteral("L'test'"));
+    }
+
+    void isCharLiteral() const {
+        // empty
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral(""));
+
+        // no literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L"));
+
+        // incomplete string literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L\""));
+
+        // valid string literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L\"\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L\"t\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U\"test\""));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L\"test\""));
+
+        // incomplete char literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u8'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("u'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("U'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(false, ::isCharLiteral("L'"));
+
+        // valid char literals
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("'t'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("u8't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("u't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("U't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("L't'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("u8'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("u'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("U'test'"));
+        ASSERT_EQUALS(true, ::isCharLiteral("L'test'"));
+    }
 };
 
 REGISTER_TEST(TestUtils)