diff --git a/doc/gendoc.py b/doc/gendoc.py
--- a/doc/gendoc.py
+++ b/doc/gendoc.py
@@ -92,9 +92,7 @@ def show_doc(ui):
             ui.write(_("    aliases: %s\n\n") % " ".join(d['aliases']))
 
     # print topics
-    for t, doc in helptable:
-        l = t.split("|")
-        section = l[-1]
+    for names, section, doc in helptable:
         underlined(_(section).upper())
         if callable(doc):
             doc = doc()
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -1339,14 +1339,10 @@ def help_(ui, name=None, with_version=Fa
             addglobalopts(True)
 
     def helptopic(name):
-        v = None
-        for i, d in help.helptable:
-            l = i.split('|')
-            if name in l:
-                v = i
-                header = l[-1]
-                doc = d
-        if not v:
+        for names, header, doc in help.helptable:
+            if name in names:
+                break
+        else:
             raise cmdutil.UnknownCommand(name)
 
         # description
@@ -1423,9 +1419,8 @@ def help_(ui, name=None, with_version=Fa
     if ui.verbose:
         ui.write(_("\nspecial help topics:\n"))
         topics = []
-        for i, d in help.helptable:
-            l = i.split('|')
-            topics.append((", ".join(l[:-1]), l[-1]))
+        for names, header, doc in help.helptable:
+            topics.append((", ".join(names), header))
         topics_len = max([len(s[0]) for s in topics])
         for t, desc in topics:
             ui.write(" %-*s  %s\n" % (topics_len, t, desc))
diff --git a/mercurial/help.py b/mercurial/help.py
--- a/mercurial/help.py
+++ b/mercurial/help.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 # of the GNU General Public License, incorporated herein by reference.
 
 helptable = (
-    ("dates|Date Formats",
+    (["dates"], "Date Formats",
     r'''
     Some commands allow the user to specify a date:
     backout, commit, import, tag: Specify the commit date.
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ helptable = (
     "-{days}" - within a given number of days of today
     '''),
 
-    ("patterns|File Name Patterns",
+    (["patterns"], "File Name Patterns",
     r'''
     Mercurial accepts several notations for identifying one or more
     files at a time.
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ helptable = (
 
     '''),
 
-    ('environment|env|Environment Variables',
+    (['environment', 'env'], 'Environment Variables',
     r'''
 HG::
     Path to the 'hg' executable, automatically passed when running hooks,
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ PYTHONPATH::
     appropriately if Mercurial is not installed system-wide.
     '''),
 
-    ('revs|revisions|Specifying Single Revisions',
+    (['revs', 'revisions'], 'Specifying Single Revisions',
     r'''
     Mercurial accepts several notations for identifying individual
     revisions.
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ PYTHONPATH::
     the first parent.
     '''),
 
-    ('mrevs|multirevs|Specifying Multiple Revisions',
+    (['mrevs', 'multirevs'], 'Specifying Multiple Revisions',
     r'''
     When Mercurial accepts more than one revision, they may be
     specified individually, or provided as a continuous range,