diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index b9ed0374e30..1966f965008 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -1242,8 +1242,6 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 				      struct commit *current_head,
 				      struct wt_status *s)
 {
-	int f = 0;
-
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, usage, 0);
 	finalize_deferred_config(s);
 
@@ -1251,7 +1249,7 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 		force_author = find_author_by_nickname(force_author);
 
 	if (force_author && renew_authorship)
-		die(_("Using both --reset-author and --author does not make sense"));
+		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--reset-author", "--author");
 
 	if (logfile || have_option_m || use_message)
 		use_editor = 0;
@@ -1268,20 +1266,20 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 			die(_("You are in the middle of a rebase -- cannot amend."));
 	}
 	if (fixup_message && squash_message)
-		die(_("Options --squash and --fixup cannot be used together"));
-	if (use_message)
-		f++;
-	if (edit_message)
-		f++;
-	if (fixup_message)
-		f++;
-	if (logfile)
-		f++;
-	if (f > 1)
-		die(_("Only one of -c/-C/-F/--fixup can be used."));
-	if (have_option_m && (edit_message || use_message || logfile))
-		die((_("Option -m cannot be combined with -c/-C/-F.")));
-	if (f || have_option_m)
+		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--squash", "--fixup");
+	die_if_incompatible_opt4(!!use_message, "-C",
+							 !!edit_message, "-c",
+							 !!logfile, "-F",
+							 !!fixup_message, "--fixup");
+	if (have_option_m) {
+		if (edit_message)
+			die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "-m", "-c");
+		else if  (use_message)
+			die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "-m", "-C");
+		else if (logfile)
+			die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "-m", "-F");
+	}
+	if (use_message || edit_message || logfile ||fixup_message || have_option_m)
 		template_file = NULL;
 	if (edit_message)
 		use_message = edit_message;
@@ -1306,9 +1304,10 @@ static int parse_and_validate_options(int argc, const char *argv[],
 	if (patch_interactive)
 		interactive = 1;
 
-	if (also + only + all + interactive > 1)
-		die(_("Only one of --include/--only/--all/--interactive/--patch can be used."));
-
+	die_if_incompatible_opt4(also, "-i/--include",
+							 only, "-o/--only",
+							 all, "-a/--all",
+							 interactive, "--interactive/-p/--patch");
 	if (fixup_message) {
 		/*
 		 * We limit --fixup's suboptions to only alpha characters.
diff --git a/builtin/difftool.c b/builtin/difftool.c
index c79fbbf67e5..ae487785735 100644
--- a/builtin/difftool.c
+++ b/builtin/difftool.c
@@ -732,8 +732,9 @@ int cmd_difftool(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	} else if (dir_diff)
 		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--dir-diff", "--no-index");
 
-	if (use_gui_tool + !!difftool_cmd + !!extcmd > 1)
-		die(_("options '%s', '%s', and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--gui", "--tool", "--extcmd");
+	die_if_incompatible_opt3(use_gui_tool, "--gui",
+							 !!difftool_cmd, "--tool",
+							 !!extcmd, "--extcmd");
 
 	if (use_gui_tool)
 		setenv("GIT_MERGETOOL_GUI", "true", 1);
diff --git a/builtin/grep.c b/builtin/grep.c
index 9e34a820ad4..cdf52667710 100644
--- a/builtin/grep.c
+++ b/builtin/grep.c
@@ -1167,11 +1167,9 @@ int cmd_grep(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (!show_in_pager && !opt.status_only)
 		setup_pager();
 
-	if (!use_index && (untracked || cached))
-		die(_("--cached or --untracked cannot be used with --no-index"));
-
-	if (untracked && cached)
-		die(_("--untracked cannot be used with --cached"));
+	die_if_incompatible_opt3(!use_index, "--no-index",
+							 untracked, "--untracked",
+							 cached, "--cached");
 
 	if (!use_index || untracked) {
 		int use_exclude = (opt_exclude < 0) ? use_index : !!opt_exclude;
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 4b493408cc5..048b2c37470 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -1978,8 +1978,9 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (rev.show_notes)
 		load_display_notes(&rev.notes_opt);
 
-	if (use_stdout + rev.diffopt.close_file + !!output_directory > 1)
-		die(_("options '%s', '%s', and '%s' cannot be used together"), "--stdout", "--output", "--output-directory");
+	die_if_incompatible_opt3(use_stdout, "--stdout",
+							 rev.diffopt.close_file, "--output",
+							 !!output_directory, "--output-directory");
 
 	if (use_stdout) {
 		setup_pager();
diff --git a/builtin/merge-base.c b/builtin/merge-base.c
index 6719ac198dc..1447f1c493a 100644
--- a/builtin/merge-base.c
+++ b/builtin/merge-base.c
@@ -159,12 +159,12 @@ int cmd_merge_base(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (argc < 2)
 			usage_with_options(merge_base_usage, options);
 		if (show_all)
-			die("--is-ancestor cannot be used with --all");
+			die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"),"--is-ancestor", "--all");
 		return handle_is_ancestor(argc, argv);
 	}
 
 	if (cmdmode == 'r' && show_all)
-		die("--independent cannot be used with --all");
+		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"),"--independent", "--all");
 
 	if (cmdmode == 'o')
 		return handle_octopus(argc, argv, show_all);
diff --git a/parse-options.c b/parse-options.c
index a8283037be9..fb9e1976ab3 100644
--- a/parse-options.c
+++ b/parse-options.c
@@ -1079,3 +1079,53 @@ void NORETURN usage_msg_opt(const char *msg,
 	die_message("%s\n", msg); /* The extra \n is intentional */
 	usage_with_options(usagestr, options);
 }
+
+void die_if_incompatible_opt3(int opt1, const char *opt1_name,
+							  int opt2, const char *opt2_name,
+							  int opt3, const char *opt3_name)
+{
+	int count = 0;
+	const char *options[3];
+
+	if (opt1)
+		options[count++] = opt1_name;
+	if (opt2)
+		options[count++] = opt2_name;
+	if (opt3)
+		options[count++] = opt3_name;
+	if (count > 2)
+		die(_("options '%s', '%s', and '%s' cannot be used together"), opt1_name, opt2_name, opt3_name);
+	else if (count > 1)
+		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), options[0], options[1]);
+}
+
+void die_if_incompatible_opt4(int opt1, const char *opt1_name,
+							  int opt2, const char *opt2_name,
+							  int opt3, const char *opt3_name,
+							  int opt4, const char *opt4_name)
+{
+	int count = 0;
+	const char *options[4];
+
+	if (opt1)
+		options[count++] = opt1_name;
+	if (opt2)
+		options[count++] = opt2_name;
+	if (opt3)
+		options[count++] = opt3_name;
+	if (opt4)
+		options[count++] = opt4_name;
+	switch (count) {
+	case 4:
+		die(_("options '%s', '%s', '%s', and '%s' cannot be used together"), opt1_name, opt2_name, opt3_name, opt4_name);
+		break;
+	case 3:
+		die(_("options '%s', '%s', and '%s' cannot be used together"), options[0], options[1], options[2]);
+		break;
+	case 2:
+		die(_("options '%s' and '%s' cannot be used together"), options[0], options[1]);
+		break;
+	default:
+		break;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/parse-options.h b/parse-options.h
index e22846d3b7b..cf393839ac4 100644
--- a/parse-options.h
+++ b/parse-options.h
@@ -339,4 +339,13 @@ int parse_opt_tracking_mode(const struct option *, const char *, int);
 #define OPT_PATHSPEC_FILE_NUL(v)  OPT_BOOL(0, "pathspec-file-nul", v, N_("with --pathspec-from-file, pathspec elements are separated with NUL character"))
 #define OPT_AUTOSTASH(v) OPT_BOOL(0, "autostash", v, N_("automatically stash/stash pop before and after"))
 
+void die_if_incompatible_opt3(int opt1, const char *opt1_name,
+							  int opt2, const char *opt2_name,
+							  int opt3, const char *opt3_name);
+
+void die_if_incompatible_opt4(int opt1, const char *opt1_name,
+							  int opt2, const char *opt2_name,
+							  int opt3, const char *opt3_name,
+							  int opt4, const char *opt4_name);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/t/t7500-commit-template-squash-signoff.sh b/t/t7500-commit-template-squash-signoff.sh
index 91964653a0b..5fcaa0b4f2a 100755
--- a/t/t7500-commit-template-squash-signoff.sh
+++ b/t/t7500-commit-template-squash-signoff.sh
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ test_expect_success '--fixup=reword: give error with pathsec' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success '--fixup=reword: -F give error message' '
-	echo "fatal: Only one of -c/-C/-F/--fixup can be used." >expect &&
+	echo "fatal: options '\''-F'\'' and '\''--fixup'\'' cannot be used together" >expect &&
 	test_must_fail git commit --fixup=reword:HEAD~ -F msg  2>actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
