diff --git a/lib/spack/docs/packaging_guide.rst b/lib/spack/docs/packaging_guide.rst
index 839f3b7c6f..3b05ce8932 100644
--- a/lib/spack/docs/packaging_guide.rst
+++ b/lib/spack/docs/packaging_guide.rst
@@ -2352,7 +2352,7 @@ the following at the command line of a bash shell:
 
 .. code-block:: console
 
-   $ for i in {1..12}; do nohup spack install -j 4 mpich@3.3.2 >> mpich_install.txt 2>&1 &; done
+   $ for i in {1..12}; do nohup spack install -j 4 mpich@3.3.2 >> mpich_install.txt 2>&1 & done
 
 .. note::