diff --git a/ark/schema/shared/errors.ts b/ark/schema/shared/errors.ts
index 0fe50527c..bc83d7a9b 100644
--- a/ark/schema/shared/errors.ts
+++ b/ark/schema/shared/errors.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ export class ArkErrors extends ReadonlyArray<ArkError> {
 		this.ctx = ctx
 	}
 
-	byPath: Record<string, ArkError> = {}
+	byPath: Record<string, ArkError> = Object.create(null)
 	count = 0
 	private mutable: ArkError[] = this as never
 
diff --git a/ark/schema/shared/traversal.ts b/ark/schema/shared/traversal.ts
index 2ba1b958e..41861c63e 100644
--- a/ark/schema/shared/traversal.ts
+++ b/ark/schema/shared/traversal.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
 	type ArkErrorContextInput,
 	type ArkErrorInput
 } from "./errors.ts"
-import { isNode, pathToPropString, type TraversalPath } from "./utils.ts"
+import { appendPropToPathString, isNode, type TraversalPath } from "./utils.ts"
 
 export type MorphsAtPath = {
 	path: TraversalPath
@@ -149,8 +149,14 @@ export class TraversalContext {
 	pathHasError(path: TraversalPath): boolean {
 		if (!this.hasError()) return false
 
-		const propString = pathToPropString(path)
-		return this.errors.some(e => propString.startsWith(e.propString))
+		let partialPropString: string = ""
+		// this.errors.byPath is null prototyped so indexing by string is safe
+		if (this.errors.byPath[partialPropString]) return true
+		for (let i = 0; i < path.length; i++) {
+			partialPropString = appendPropToPathString(partialPropString, path[i])
+			if (this.errors.byPath[partialPropString]) return true
+		}
+		return false
 	}
 
 	get failFast(): boolean {
diff --git a/ark/schema/shared/utils.ts b/ark/schema/shared/utils.ts
index ca2c47219..10d3d90f2 100644
--- a/ark/schema/shared/utils.ts
+++ b/ark/schema/shared/utils.ts
@@ -61,27 +61,49 @@ export type PathToPropStringFn = <stringifiable>(
 	:	NoInfer<[opts: PathToPropStringOptions<stringifiable>]>
 ) => string
 
-export const pathToPropString: PathToPropStringFn = (path, ...[opts]) => {
+export type AppendPropToPathStringFn = <stringifiable>(
+	path: string,
+	prop: stringifiable,
+	...[opts]: [stringifiable] extends [PropertyKey] ?
+		[opts?: PathToPropStringOptions]
+	:	NoInfer<[opts: PathToPropStringOptions<stringifiable>]>
+) => string
+
+export const appendPropToPathString: AppendPropToPathStringFn = (
+	path,
+	prop,
+	...[opts]
+) => {
 	const stringifySymbol = opts?.stringifySymbol ?? printable
-	const propAccessChain = path.reduce<string>((s, k) => {
-		switch (typeof k) {
-			case "string":
-				return isDotAccessible(k) ? `${s}.${k}` : `${s}[${JSON.stringify(k)}]`
-			case "number":
-				return `${s}[${k}]`
-			case "symbol":
-				return `${s}[${stringifySymbol(k)}]`
-			default:
-				if (opts?.stringifyNonKey)
-					return `${s}[${opts.stringifyNonKey(k as never)}]`
-				throwParseError(
-					`${printable(k)} must be a PropertyKey or stringifyNonKey must be passed to options`
-				)
-		}
-	}, "")
-	return propAccessChain[0] === "." ? propAccessChain.slice(1) : propAccessChain
+	let propAccessChain: string = path
+	switch (typeof prop) {
+		case "string":
+			propAccessChain =
+				isDotAccessible(prop) ?
+					path === "" ?
+						prop
+					:	`${path}.${prop}`
+				:	`${path}[${JSON.stringify(prop)}]`
+			break
+		case "number":
+			propAccessChain = `${path}[${prop}]`
+			break
+		case "symbol":
+			propAccessChain = `${path}[${stringifySymbol(prop)}]`
+			break
+		default:
+			if (opts?.stringifyNonKey)
+				propAccessChain = `${path}[${opts.stringifyNonKey(prop as never)}]`
+			throwParseError(
+				`${printable(prop)} must be a PropertyKey or stringifyNonKey must be passed to options`
+			)
+	}
+	return propAccessChain
 }
 
+export const pathToPropString: PathToPropStringFn = (path, ...opts) =>
+	path.reduce<string>((s, k) => appendPropToPathString(s, k, ...opts), "")
+
 export type arkKind = typeof arkKind
 
 export const arkKind = noSuggest("arkKind")