diff --git a/base/replutil.jl b/base/replutil.jl
index 8138bb9df60ccb..aa25d25e457199 100644
--- a/base/replutil.jl
+++ b/base/replutil.jl
@@ -168,27 +168,61 @@ function showerror(io::IO, e::MethodError)
         print(io, "since type constructors fall back to convert methods in julia v0.4.")
     end
 
-    # Display up to three closest candidates
+    show_method_candidates(io, e)
+end
+
+function show_method_candidates(io::IO, e::MethodError)
+    # Displays the closest candidates of the given function by looping over the
+    # functions methods and counting the number of matching arguments.
     lines = Array((IOBuffer, Int), 0)
     for method in methods(e.f)
-        n = length(e.args)
-        if n != length(method.sig)
-            continue
-        end
         buf = IOBuffer()
-        print(buf, "  $(e.f.env.name)(")
-        first = true
+        print(buf, "  $(e.f.env.name)")
         right_matches = 0
-        for (arg, sigtype) in Zip2{Any,Any}(e.args, method.sig)
-            if first
-                first = false
+        tv = method.tvars
+        if !isa(tv,Tuple)
+            tv = (tv,)
+        end
+        if !isempty(tv)
+            show_delim_array(buf, tv, '{', ',', '}', false)
+        end
+        print(buf, "(")
+        t_i = Any[typeof(e.args)...]
+        right_matches = 0
+        for i = 1 : min(length(t_i), length(method.sig))
+            i != 1 && print(buf, ", ")
+            # If isvarargtype then it checks wether the rest of the input arguements matches
+            # the varargtype
+			j = Base.isvarargtype(method.sig[i]) ? length(t_i) : i
+            # checks if the type of arg 1:i of the input intersects with the current method
+            t_in = typeintersect(method.sig[1:i], tuple(t_i[1:j]...))
+            if t_in == None
+                # If there is no typeintersect then the type signature from the method is
+                # inserted in t_i this insures if the type at the next i matches the type
+                # signature then there will be a type intersect
+                t_i[i] = method.sig[i]
+                Base.with_output_color(:red, buf) do buf
+                    print(buf, "::$(method.sig[i])")
+                end
             else
-                print(buf, ", ")
+                right_matches += j==i ? 1 : 0
+                print(buf, "::$(method.sig[i])")
             end
-            if typeof(arg) <: sigtype
-                right_matches += 1
-                print(buf, "::$(sigtype)")
-            else
+        end
+        if length(t_i) > length(method.sig) && Base.isvarargtype(method.sig[end])
+            # It insures that methods like f(a::AbstractString...) gets the correct
+            # number of right_matches
+            for t in typeof(e.args)[length(method.sig):end]
+                if t <: method.sig[end].parameters[1]
+                    right_matches += 1
+                end
+            end
+        end
+        if length(t_i) < length(method.sig)
+            # If the methods args is longer than input then the method
+            # arguments is printed as not a match
+            for sigtype in method.sig[length(t_i)+1:end]
+                print(buf, ", ")
                 Base.with_output_color(:red, buf) do buf
                     print(buf, "::$(sigtype)")
                 end
@@ -199,7 +233,7 @@ function showerror(io::IO, e::MethodError)
             push!(lines, (buf, right_matches))
         end
     end
-    if length(lines) != 0
+    if length(lines) != 0 # Display up to three closest candidates
         Base.with_output_color(:normal, io) do io
             println(io, "\nClosest candidates are:")
             sort!(lines, by = x -> -x[2])
diff --git a/test/replutil.jl b/test/replutil.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..64cd913e7a8857
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/replutil.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+function test_have_color(buf, color, no_color)
+    if Base.have_color
+        @test takebuf_string(buf) == color
+    else
+        @test takebuf_string(buf) == no_color
+    end
+end
+let
+    fe(x::Int, s::AbstractString...) = pass
+    buf = IOBuffer()
+    Base.show_method_candidates(buf, Base.MethodError(fe,(1.,1,"")))
+    no_color = "Closest candidates are:\n  f(::Int64, ::AbstractString...)"
+    test_have_color(buf,
+                    "\e[0m\nClosest candidates are:\n  fe(\e[1m\e[31m::Int64\e[0m, \e[1m\e[31m::AbstractString...\e[0m)\n\e[0m",
+                    no_color)
+
+    Base.show_method_candidates(buf, Base.MethodError(f,(1.,"","")))
+    test_have_color(buf,
+                    "\e[0m\nClosest candidates are:\n  fe(\e[1m\e[31m::Int64\e[0m, ::AbstractString...)\n\e[0m",
+                    no_color)
+
+    # should match
+    Base.show_method_candidates(buf, Base.MethodError(fe,(1,"","")))
+    test_have_color(buf,
+                    "\e[0m\nClosest candidates are:\n  f(::Int64, ::AbstractString...)\n\e[0m",
+                    no_color)
+
+    # Have no matches so should return empty
+    Base.show_method_candidates(buf, Base.MethodError(fe,(1.,1,1)))
+    test_have_color(buf, "", "")
+
+    ge(x::Int, args...) = pass
+    ge(x::Int, y::Float64 ,args...) = pass
+    ge(x::Int, y::Float64) = pass
+    ge{T<:Real}(x::T, y::T, z::T) = pass
+    Base.show_method_candidates(buf, Base.MethodError(g,(1.,1.,2)))
+    color = "\e[0m\nClosest candidates are:\n  ge(\e[1m\e[31m::Int64\e[0m, ::Float64, ::Any...)\n  ge(\e[1m\e[31m::Int64\e[0m, ::Any...)\n  ge{T<:Real}(::T<:Real, ::T<:Real, \e[1m\e[31m::T<:Real\e[0m)\n  ...\n\e[0m"
+    no_color = no_color = "Closest candidates are:\n  ge(::Int64, ::Float64, ::Any...)\n  ge(::Int64, ::Any...)\n  ge{T<:Real}(::T<:Real, ::T<:Real, ::T<:Real)\n  ..."
+    test_have_color(buf, color, no_color)
+
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index e2d6ae4f427821..21cf7e366fb016 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ testnames = [
     "resolve", "pollfd", "mpfr", "broadcast", "complex", "socket",
     "floatapprox", "readdlm", "reflection", "regex", "float16", "combinatorics",
     "sysinfo", "rounding", "ranges", "mod2pi", "euler", "show",
-    "lineedit", "replcompletions", "repl", "sets", "test", "goto",
+    "lineedit", "replcompletions", "repl", "replutil", "sets", "test", "goto",
     "llvmcall", "grisu", "nullable", "meta", "profile",
     "libgit2", "docs", "base64", "parser"
 ]