diff --git a/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor b/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
index 0721e61a2a..9791919392 100644
--- a/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
+++ b/basis/stack-checker/known-words/known-words.factor
@@ -431,9 +431,9 @@ M: bad-executable summary
 \ quot-compiled? { quotation } { object } define-primitive
 \ quotation-code { quotation } { integer integer } define-primitive \ quotation-code make-flushable
 \ reset-dispatch-stats { } { } define-primitive
-\ resize-array { integer array } { array } define-primitive \ resize-array make-flushable
-\ resize-byte-array { integer byte-array } { byte-array } define-primitive \ resize-byte-array make-flushable
-\ resize-string { integer string } { string } define-primitive \ resize-string make-flushable
+\ resize-array { integer array } { array } define-primitive
+\ resize-byte-array { integer byte-array } { byte-array } define-primitive
+\ resize-string { integer string } { string } define-primitive
 \ retainstack { } { array } define-primitive \ retainstack make-flushable
 \ retainstack-for { c-ptr } { array } define-primitive \ retainstack-for make-flushable
 \ set-alien-cell { c-ptr c-ptr integer } { } define-primitive
diff --git a/core/arrays/arrays-docs.factor b/core/arrays/arrays-docs.factor
index b9d579fbac..1220112bd7 100644
--- a/core/arrays/arrays-docs.factor
+++ b/core/arrays/arrays-docs.factor
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ $nl
     3array
     4array
 }
+"Resizing arrays:"
+{ $subsections resize-array }
 "The class of two-element arrays:"
 { $subsections pair }
 "Arrays can be accessed without bounds checks in a pointer unsafe way."
@@ -69,9 +71,10 @@ HELP: 4array
 { $values { "w" object } { "x" object } { "y" object } { "z" object } { "array" array } }
 { $description "Create a new array with four elements, with " { $snippet "w" } " appearing first." } ;
 
-HELP: resize-array ( n array -- newarray )
-{ $values { "n" "a non-negative integer" } { "array" array } { "newarray" "a new array" } }
-{ $description "Creates a new array of " { $snippet "n" } " elements. The contents of the existing array are copied into the new array; if the new array is shorter, only an initial segment is copied, and if the new array is longer the remaining space is filled in with "{ $link f } "." } ;
+HELP: resize-array ( n array -- new-array )
+{ $values { "n" "a non-negative integer" } { "array" array } { "new-array" array } }
+{ $description "Resizes the array to have a length of " { $snippet "n" } " elements. When making the array shorter, this word may either create a new array or modify the existing array in place. When making the array longer, this word always allocates a new array, filling remaining space with " { $link f } "." }
+{ $side-effects "array" } ;
 
 HELP: pair
 { $class-description "The class of two-element arrays, known as pairs." } ;
diff --git a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
index 07f6e9ef9a..14ed5b9717 100644
--- a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
+++ b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
@@ -424,10 +424,10 @@ tuple
     { "dll-valid?" "alien.libraries" "primitive_dll_validp" (( dll -- ? )) }
     { "current-callback" "alien.private" "primitive_current_callback" (( -- n )) }
     { "<array>" "arrays" "primitive_array" (( n elt -- array )) }
-    { "resize-array" "arrays" "primitive_resize_array" (( n array -- newarray )) }
+    { "resize-array" "arrays" "primitive_resize_array" (( n array -- new-array )) }
     { "(byte-array)" "byte-arrays" "primitive_uninitialized_byte_array" (( n -- byte-array )) }
     { "<byte-array>" "byte-arrays" "primitive_byte_array" (( n -- byte-array )) }
-    { "resize-byte-array" "byte-arrays" "primitive_resize_byte_array" (( n byte-array -- newbyte-array )) }
+    { "resize-byte-array" "byte-arrays" "primitive_resize_byte_array" (( n byte-array -- new-byte-array )) }
     { "<tuple-boa>" "classes.tuple.private" "primitive_tuple_boa" (( slots... layout -- tuple )) }
     { "<tuple>" "classes.tuple.private" "primitive_tuple" (( layout -- tuple )) }
     { "modify-code-heap" "compiler.units" "primitive_modify_code_heap" (( alist update-existing? reset-pics? -- )) }
diff --git a/core/byte-arrays/byte-arrays-docs.factor b/core/byte-arrays/byte-arrays-docs.factor
index f6507ac963..f804802fa7 100644
--- a/core/byte-arrays/byte-arrays-docs.factor
+++ b/core/byte-arrays/byte-arrays-docs.factor
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ $nl
     3byte-array
     4byte-array
 }
-"Resizing byte-arrays:"
+"Resizing byte arrays:"
 { $subsections resize-byte-array } ;
 
 ABOUT: "byte-arrays"
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ HELP: 4byte-array
 
 { 1byte-array 2byte-array 3byte-array 4byte-array } related-words
 
-HELP: resize-byte-array ( n byte-array -- newbyte-array )
-{ $values { "n" "a non-negative integer" } { "byte-array" byte-array }
-        { "newbyte-array" byte-array } }
-{ $description "Creates a new byte-array of n elements.  The contents of the existing byte-array are copied into the new byte-array; if the new byte-array is shorter, only an initial segment is copied, and if the new byte-array is longer the remaining space is filled in with 0." } ;
+HELP: resize-byte-array ( n byte-array -- new-byte-array )
+{ $values { "n" "a non-negative integer" } { "byte-array" byte-array } { "new-byte-array" byte-array } }
+{ $description "Resizes the byte array to have a length of " { $snippet "n" } " elements. When making the byte array shorter, this word may either create a new byte array or modify the existing byte array in place. When making the byte array longer, this word always allocates a new byte array, filling remaining space with zeroes." }
+{ $side-effects "byte-array" } ;
diff --git a/core/strings/strings-docs.factor b/core/strings/strings-docs.factor
index 6fb6909da8..d53282114b 100644
--- a/core/strings/strings-docs.factor
+++ b/core/strings/strings-docs.factor
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ $nl
 }
 "Creating a string from a single character:"
 { $subsections 1string }
+"Resizing strings:"
+{ $subsections resize-string }
 { $see-also "syntax-strings" "sbufs" "unicode" "io.encodings" } ;
 
 ABOUT: "strings"
@@ -53,4 +55,5 @@ HELP: >string
 
 HELP: resize-string ( n str -- newstr )
 { $values { "n" "a non-negative integer" } { "str" string } { "newstr" string } }
-{ $description "Creates a new string " { $snippet "n" } " characters long The contents of the existing string are copied into the new string; if the new string is shorter, only an initial segment is copied, and if the new string is longer the remaining space is filled with " { $snippet "\\u000000" } "." } ;
+{ $description "Resizes the string to have a length of " { $snippet "n" } " elements. When making the string shorter, this word may either create a new string or modify the existing string in place. When making the string longer, this word always allocates a new string, filling remaining space with zeroes." }
+{ $side-effects "str" } ;