diff --git a/lib/console.js b/lib/console.js
index ac8912f828ea6a..64d21a4266cdc6 100644
--- a/lib/console.js
+++ b/lib/console.js
@@ -49,7 +49,11 @@ exports.time = function(label) {
 
 
 exports.timeEnd = function(label) {
-  var duration = Date.now() - times[label];
+  var time = times[label];
+  if (!time) {
+    throw new Error('No such label: ' + label);
+  }
+  var duration = Date.now() - time;
   exports.log('%s: %dms', label, duration);
 };
 
diff --git a/test/simple/test-console.js b/test/simple/test-console.js
index 3a73286def8031..d07ca50ae4a7be 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-console.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-console.js
@@ -50,3 +50,12 @@ assert.equal('foo bar hop\n', strings.shift());
 assert.equal("{ slashes: '\\\\\\\\' }\n", strings.shift());
 
 process.stderr.write('hello world');
+
+assert.throws(function () {
+  console.timeEnd('no such label');
+});
+
+assert.doesNotThrow(function () {
+  console.time('label');
+  console.timeEnd('label');
+});