diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTypes.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTypes.ts
index ed3c22a07ab..7ef77a5d259 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTypes.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostTypes.ts
@@ -740,9 +740,15 @@ export class SnippetString {
 		return this;
 	}
 
-	appendChoice(values: string[], number?: number): SnippetString {
-		this.appendPlaceholder(values.toString(), number);
-		this.value = this.value.replace(/:/g, '|').replace(/}/g, '|}');
+	appendChoice(values: string[], number: number = this._tabstop++): SnippetString {
+		const value = SnippetString._escape(values.toString());
+
+		this.value += '${';
+		this.value += number;
+		this.value += '|';
+		this.value += value;
+		this.value += '|}';
+
 		return this;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/test/electron-browser/api/extHostTypes.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/test/electron-browser/api/extHostTypes.test.ts
index 7a37f9fccda..e372fcffa8d 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/test/electron-browser/api/extHostTypes.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/test/electron-browser/api/extHostTypes.test.ts
@@ -534,6 +534,18 @@ suite('ExtHostTypes', function () {
 		string = new types.SnippetString();
 		string.appendChoice(['b', 'a', 'r'], 0);
 		assert.equal(string.value, '${0|b,a,r|}');
+
+		string = new types.SnippetString();
+		string.appendText('foo').appendChoice(['far', 'boo']).appendText('bar');
+		assert.equal(string.value, 'foo${1|far,boo|}bar');
+
+		string = new types.SnippetString();
+		string.appendText('foo').appendChoice(['far', '$boo']).appendText('bar');
+		assert.equal(string.value, 'foo${1|far,\\$boo|}bar');
+
+		string = new types.SnippetString();
+		string.appendText('foo').appendPlaceholder('farboo').appendChoice(['far', 'boo']).appendText('bar');
+		assert.equal(string.value, 'foo${1:farboo}${2|far,boo|}bar');
 	});
 
 	test('instanceof doesn\'t work for FileSystemError #49386', function () {