diff --git a/src/compiler/inspectValue.ts b/src/compiler/inspectValue.ts
index 8433ee6e489..8d0b6993c00 100644
--- a/src/compiler/inspectValue.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/inspectValue.ts
@@ -148,8 +148,7 @@ namespace ts {
     }
 
     export function isJsPrivate(name: string): boolean {
-        return name.startsWith("_");
-    }
+        return startsWith(name, "_");    }
 
     function tryRequire(fileNameToRequire: string): unknown {
         try {