diff --git a/docsite/rst/YAMLSyntax.rst b/docsite/rst/YAMLSyntax.rst
index 3230a39f24..9e5ef31103 100644
--- a/docsite/rst/YAMLSyntax.rst
+++ b/docsite/rst/YAMLSyntax.rst
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Ansible or not) should begin with ``---``.  This is part of the YAML
 format and indicates the start of a document.
 
 All members of a list are lines beginning at the same indentation level starting
-with a ``-`` (dash) character::
+with a ``- `` (dash and whitespace) character::
 
     ---
     # A list of tasty fruits
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ with a ``-`` (dash) character::
     - Strawberry
     - Mango
 
-A dictionary is represented in a simple ``key:`` and ``value`` form::
+A dictionary is represented in a simple ``key: `` (colon and whitespace) and ``value`` form::
 
     ---
     # An employee record