diff --git a/basis/bootstrap/help/help.factor b/basis/bootstrap/help/help.factor
index 725bb54993..98f2557502 100644
--- a/basis/bootstrap/help/help.factor
+++ b/basis/bootstrap/help/help.factor
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ IN: bootstrap.help
 
     t load-help? set-global
 
-    [ dup lookup-vocab [ ] [ no-vocab ] ?if drop ] require-hook [
+    [ dup lookup-vocab [ drop ] [ no-vocab ] if ] require-hook [
         dictionary get values
         [ docs-loaded?>> not ] filter
         [ load-docs ] each
diff --git a/core/vocabs/loader/loader-tests.factor b/core/vocabs/loader/loader-tests.factor
index dd0bc493d9..8d5b61b96b 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/loader/loader-tests.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/loader/loader-tests.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 USING: vocabs.loader tools.test continuations vocabs math
 kernel arrays sequences namespaces io.streams.string
 parser source-files words assocs classes.tuple definitions
-debugger compiler.units accessors eval
+debugger compiler.units accessors eval vocabs.hierarchy
 combinators vocabs.parser grouping vocabs.files vocabs.refresh ;
 IN: vocabs.loader.tests
 
@@ -185,6 +185,8 @@ forget-junk
 [ ] [ "vocabs.loader.test.m" require ] unit-test
 [ t ] [ "vocabs.loader.test.n" lookup-vocab >boolean ] unit-test
 
+[ ] [ "vocabs" load ] unit-test
+[ f ] [ "vocabs.loader.test.p" lookup-vocab ] unit-test
 [ ] [ "vocabs.loader.test.p.private" require ] unit-test
 [ { "foo" } ] [ "vocabs.loader.test.p" words [ name>> ] map ] unit-test
 
diff --git a/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor b/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
index d5a344f6bd..d95aad11f2 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/loader/loader.factor
@@ -138,28 +138,29 @@ SYMBOL: blacklist
 : add-to-blacklist ( error vocab -- )
     vocab-name blacklist get dup [ set-at ] [ 3drop ] if ;
 
-GENERIC: (load-vocab) ( name -- vocab )
+GENERIC: (require) ( name -- )
 
-M: vocab (load-vocab)
+M: vocab (require)
     [
-        dup source-loaded?>> +parsing+ eq? [
+        dup source-loaded?>> +parsing+ eq?  [ drop ] [
             dup source-loaded?>> [ dup load-source ] unless
             dup docs-loaded?>> [ dup load-docs ] unless
-        ] unless
+            drop
+        ] if
     ] [ [ swap add-to-blacklist ] keep rethrow ] recover ;
 
-M: vocab-link (load-vocab)
-    vocab-name (load-vocab) ;
+M: vocab-link (require)
+    vocab-name (require) ;
 
-M: string (load-vocab) create-vocab (load-vocab) ;
+M: string (require) create-vocab (require) ;
 
 PRIVATE>
 
 [
-    dup vocab-name blacklist get at* [ rethrow ] [
-        drop dup find-vocab-root
-        [ (load-vocab) ] [ dup lookup-vocab [ ] [ no-vocab ] ?if ] if
-    ] if drop
+    dup vocab-name blacklist get at*
+    [ rethrow ]
+    [ drop dup find-vocab-root [ (require) ] [ drop ] if ]
+    if
 ] require-hook set-global
 
 M: vocab-spec where vocab-source-path dup [ 1 2array ] when ;
diff --git a/core/vocabs/loader/test/p/tags.txt b/core/vocabs/loader/test/p/tags.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ebb74b4d5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/vocabs/loader/test/p/tags.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+not loaded
diff --git a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
index 1b3c15a9b4..f1fc12391e 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ GENERIC: require ( object -- )
 M: vocab require name>> require ;
 M: vocab-link require name>> require ;
 
-! When calling "foo.private" require, load "foo" instead, ! but only when
+! When calling "foo.private" require, load "foo" instead, but only when
 ! "foo.private" does not exist. The reason for this is that stage1 bootstrap
 ! starts out with some .private vocabs that contain primitives, and
 ! loading the public vocabs would cause circularity issues.