diff --git a/src/lib/QueryType/UserQueryType.php b/src/lib/QueryType/UserQueryType.php
index e3d2fa3d89..67ad518862 100644
--- a/src/lib/QueryType/UserQueryType.php
+++ b/src/lib/QueryType/UserQueryType.php
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ private function cleanSearchPhrase(string $phrase): string
     {
         $sanitizedPhrase = preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9@._-]/', '', $phrase);
         if (null === $sanitizedPhrase) {
-            throw new RuntimeException('Could not to sanitize search phrase.');
+            throw new RuntimeException('Could not sanitize search phrase.');
         }
 
         return $sanitizedPhrase;