diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/lex.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/lex.rs
index 42f0fa85da..399afb428e 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/lex.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/lex.rs
@@ -207,6 +207,23 @@ pub fn lex_item(
             // We encountered a closing `)` delimiter. Pop off the opening `(`.
             if let Some(BlockKind::Paren) = block_level.last() {
                 let _ = block_level.pop();
+            } else {
+                // We encountered a closing `)` delimiter, but the last opening
+                // delimiter was not a `(`. This is an error.
+                let span = Span::new(span_offset + token_start, span_offset + *curr_offset);
+
+                *curr_offset += 1;
+                return (
+                    Token {
+                        contents: TokenContents::Item,
+                        span,
+                    },
+                    Some(ParseError::Unbalanced(
+                        "(".to_string(),
+                        ")".to_string(),
+                        Span::new(span.end, span.end + 1),
+                    )),
+                );
             }
         } else if is_item_terminator(&block_level, c, additional_whitespace, special_tokens) {
             break;
diff --git a/src/tests/test_parser.rs b/src/tests/test_parser.rs
index 6f1224a031..83fc7aa339 100644
--- a/src/tests/test_parser.rs
+++ b/src/tests/test_parser.rs
@@ -550,6 +550,16 @@ fn unbalanced_delimiter4() -> TestResult {
     fail_test(r#"}"#, "unbalanced { and }")
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn unbalanced_parens1() -> TestResult {
+    fail_test(r#")"#, "unbalanced ( and )")
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn unbalanced_parens2() -> TestResult {
+    fail_test(r#"("("))"#, "unbalanced ( and )")
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn register_with_string_literal() -> TestResult {
     fail_test(r#"register 'nu-plugin-math'"#, "File not found")