diff --git a/lib/internal/errors.js b/lib/internal/errors.js
index 47e37f5ab4a02a..101bd3a003a2b4 100644
--- a/lib/internal/errors.js
+++ b/lib/internal/errors.js
@@ -1209,12 +1209,12 @@ E('ERR_FEATURE_UNAVAILABLE_ON_PLATFORM',
   ', which is being used to run Node.js',
   TypeError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_DIR_TO_NON_DIR',
-  'Cannot overwrite directory with non-directory', SystemError);
+  'Cannot overwrite non-directory with directory', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_EEXIST', 'Target already exists', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_EINVAL', 'Invalid src or dest', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_FIFO_PIPE', 'Cannot copy a FIFO pipe', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_NON_DIR_TO_DIR',
-  'Cannot overwrite non-directory with directory', SystemError);
+  'Cannot overwrite directory with non-directory', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_SOCKET', 'Cannot copy a socket file', SystemError);
 E('ERR_FS_CP_SYMLINK_TO_SUBDIRECTORY',
   'Cannot overwrite symlink in subdirectory of self', SystemError);
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp-sync.js b/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp-sync.js
index fe342f2dda19ec..431a72bfe1665d 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp-sync.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp-sync.js
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ function checkPathsSync(src, dest, opts) {
     }
     if (srcStat.isDirectory() && !destStat.isDirectory()) {
       throw new ERR_FS_CP_DIR_TO_NON_DIR({
-        message: `cannot overwrite directory ${src} ` +
-          `with non-directory ${dest}`,
+        message: `cannot overwrite non-directory ${dest} ` +
+          `with directory ${src}`,
         path: dest,
         syscall: 'cp',
         errno: EISDIR,
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ function checkPathsSync(src, dest, opts) {
     }
     if (!srcStat.isDirectory() && destStat.isDirectory()) {
       throw new ERR_FS_CP_NON_DIR_TO_DIR({
-        message: `cannot overwrite non-directory ${src} ` +
-          `with directory ${dest}`,
+        message: `cannot overwrite directory ${dest} ` +
+          `with non-directory ${src}`,
         path: dest,
         syscall: 'cp',
         errno: ENOTDIR,
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp.js b/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp.js
index 130bf98ae7be4c..f59bbdb1e59e61 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/cp/cp.js
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ async function checkPaths(src, dest, opts) {
     }
     if (srcStat.isDirectory() && !destStat.isDirectory()) {
       throw new ERR_FS_CP_DIR_TO_NON_DIR({
-        message: `cannot overwrite directory ${src} ` +
-            `with non-directory ${dest}`,
+        message: `cannot overwrite non-directory ${dest} ` +
+            `with directory ${src}`,
         path: dest,
         syscall: 'cp',
         errno: EISDIR,
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ async function checkPaths(src, dest, opts) {
     }
     if (!srcStat.isDirectory() && destStat.isDirectory()) {
       throw new ERR_FS_CP_NON_DIR_TO_DIR({
-        message: `cannot overwrite non-directory ${src} ` +
-            `with directory ${dest}`,
+        message: `cannot overwrite directory ${dest} ` +
+            `with non-directory ${src}`,
         path: dest,
         syscall: 'cp',
         errno: ENOTDIR,