diff --git a/.changeset/proud-poems-try.md b/.changeset/proud-poems-try.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..00206037921
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/proud-poems-try.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@solana/errors": patch
+---
+
+The development mode error message printer no longer fatals on Safari < 16.4.
diff --git a/packages/errors/src/__tests__/message-formatter-test.ts b/packages/errors/src/__tests__/message-formatter-test.ts
index 66fecd341b4..fbc1222d26b 100644
--- a/packages/errors/src/__tests__/message-formatter-test.ts
+++ b/packages/errors/src/__tests__/message-formatter-test.ts
@@ -81,18 +81,70 @@ describe('getErrorMessage', () => {
             );
             expect(message).toBe('static error message');
         });
-        it('interpolates variables into a error message format string', () => {
+        it.each([
+            {
+                expected: "Something awful happened: 'bar'. How awful!",
+                input: "Something $severity happened: '$foo'. How $severity!",
+            },
+            // Literal backslashes, escaped dollar signs
+            {
+                expected: 'How \\awful\\ is the $severity?',
+                input: 'How \\\\$severity\\\\ is the \\$severity?',
+            },
+            // Variable at beginning of sequence
+            { expected: 'awful times!', input: '$severity times!' },
+            // Variable at end of sequence
+            { expected: "Isn't it awful?", input: "Isn't it $severity?" },
+            // Variable in middle of text sequence
+            { expected: '~awful~', input: '~$severity~' },
+            // Variable interpolation with no value in the lookup
+            { expected: 'Is $thing a sandwich?', input: 'Is $thing a sandwich?' },
+            // Variable that has, as a substring, some other value in the lookup
+            { expected: '$fool', input: '$fool' },
+            // Trick for butting a variable up against regular text
+            { expected: 'barl', input: '$foo\\l' },
+            // Escaped variable marker
+            { expected: "It's the $severity, ya hear?", input: "It's the \\$severity, ya hear?" },
+            // Single dollar sign
+            { expected: ' $ ', input: ' $ ' },
+            // Single dollar sign at start
+            { expected: '$ ', input: '$ ' },
+            // Single dollar sign at end
+            { expected: ' $', input: ' $' },
+            // Double dollar sign with legitimate variable name
+            { expected: ' $bar ', input: ' $$foo ' },
+            // Double dollar sign with legitimate variable name at start
+            { expected: '$bar ', input: '$$foo ' },
+            // Double dollar sign with legitimate variable name at end
+            { expected: ' $bar', input: ' $$foo' },
+            // Single escape sequence
+            { expected: '  ', input: ' \\ ' },
+            // Single escape sequence at start
+            { expected: ' ', input: '\\ ' },
+            // Single escape sequence at end
+            { expected: ' ', input: ' \\' },
+            // Double escape sequence
+            { expected: ' \\ ', input: ' \\\\ ' },
+            // Double escape sequence at start
+            { expected: '\\ ', input: '\\\\ ' },
+            // Double escape sequence at end
+            { expected: ' \\', input: ' \\\\' },
+            // Just text
+            { expected: 'Some unencumbered text.', input: 'Some unencumbered text.' },
+            // Empty string
+            { expected: '', input: '' },
+        ])('interpolates variables into the error message format string `"$input"`', ({ input, expected }) => {
             const messagesSpy = jest.spyOn(MessagesModule, 'SolanaErrorMessages', 'get');
             messagesSpy.mockReturnValue({
                 // @ts-expect-error Mock error config doesn't conform to exported config.
-                123: "Something $severity happened: '$foo'. How $severity!",
+                123: input,
             });
             const message = getErrorMessage(
                 // @ts-expect-error Mock error context doesn't conform to exported context.
                 123,
                 { foo: 'bar', severity: 'awful' },
             );
-            expect(message).toBe("Something awful happened: 'bar'. How awful!");
+            expect(message).toBe(expected);
         });
         it('interpolates a Uint8Array variable into a error message format string', () => {
             const messagesSpy = jest.spyOn(MessagesModule, 'SolanaErrorMessages', 'get');
diff --git a/packages/errors/src/message-formatter.ts b/packages/errors/src/message-formatter.ts
index 6144c88eb35..76a5ca5ff53 100644
--- a/packages/errors/src/message-formatter.ts
+++ b/packages/errors/src/message-formatter.ts
@@ -2,15 +2,83 @@ import { SolanaErrorCode } from './codes';
 import { encodeContextObject } from './context';
 import { SolanaErrorMessages } from './messages';
 
+const enum StateType {
+    EscapeSequence,
+    Text,
+    Variable,
+}
+type State = Readonly<{
+    [START_INDEX]: number;
+    [TYPE]: StateType;
+}>;
+const START_INDEX = 'i';
+const TYPE = 't';
+
 export function getHumanReadableErrorMessage<TErrorCode extends SolanaErrorCode>(
     code: TErrorCode,
     context: object = {},
 ): string {
     const messageFormatString = SolanaErrorMessages[code];
-    const message = messageFormatString.replace(/(?<!\\)\$(\w+)/g, (substring, variableName) =>
-        variableName in context ? `${context[variableName as keyof typeof context]}` : substring,
-    );
-    return message;
+    if (messageFormatString.length === 0) {
+        return '';
+    }
+    let state: State;
+    function commitStateUpTo(endIndex?: number) {
+        if (state[TYPE] === StateType.Variable) {
+            const variableName = messageFormatString.slice(state[START_INDEX] + 1, endIndex);
+            fragments.push(
+                variableName in context ? `${context[variableName as keyof typeof context]}` : `$${variableName}`,
+            );
+        } else if (state[TYPE] === StateType.Text) {
+            fragments.push(messageFormatString.slice(state[START_INDEX], endIndex));
+        }
+    }
+    const fragments: string[] = [];
+    messageFormatString.split('').forEach((char, ii) => {
+        if (ii === 0) {
+            state = {
+                [START_INDEX]: 0,
+                [TYPE]:
+                    messageFormatString[0] === '\\'
+                        ? StateType.EscapeSequence
+                        : messageFormatString[0] === '$'
+                          ? StateType.Variable
+                          : StateType.Text,
+            };
+            return;
+        }
+        let nextState;
+        switch (state[TYPE]) {
+            case StateType.EscapeSequence:
+                nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.Text };
+                break;
+            case StateType.Text:
+                if (char === '\\') {
+                    nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.EscapeSequence };
+                } else if (char === '$') {
+                    nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.Variable };
+                }
+                break;
+            case StateType.Variable:
+                if (char === '\\') {
+                    nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.EscapeSequence };
+                } else if (char === '$') {
+                    commitStateUpTo(ii);
+                    nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.Variable };
+                } else if (!char.match(/\w/)) {
+                    nextState = { [START_INDEX]: ii, [TYPE]: StateType.Text };
+                }
+                break;
+        }
+        if (nextState) {
+            if (state[TYPE] !== nextState[TYPE]) {
+                commitStateUpTo(ii);
+            }
+            state = nextState;
+        }
+    });
+    commitStateUpTo();
+    return fragments.join('');
 }
 
 export function getErrorMessage<TErrorCode extends SolanaErrorCode>(code: TErrorCode, context: object = {}): string {