diff --git a/mercurial/scmutil.py b/mercurial/scmutil.py
--- a/mercurial/scmutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/scmutil.py
@@ -524,9 +524,11 @@ def revpair(repo, revs):
     l = revrange(repo, revs)
 
     if len(l) == 0:
+        if revs:
+            raise util.Abort(_('empty revision range'))
         return repo.dirstate.p1(), None
 
-    if len(l) == 1:
+    if len(l) == 1 and len(revs) == 1 and _revrangesep not in revs[0]:
         return repo.lookup(l[0]), None
 
     return repo.lookup(l[0]), repo.lookup(l[-1])
diff --git a/tests/test-diff-change.t b/tests/test-diff-change.t
--- a/tests/test-diff-change.t
+++ b/tests/test-diff-change.t
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ Testing diff --change
   -first
   +second
 
+Test dumb revspecs (issue3474)
+
+  $ hg diff -r 2:2
+  $ hg diff -r "2 and 1"
+  abort: empty revision range
+  [255]
 
 Testing diff --change when merge: