diff --git a/schema.prs b/schema.prs
index 5db39dc..7dd37f8 100644
--- a/schema.prs
+++ b/schema.prs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ SimplePattern =
   ; special builtins: bool, float, double, int, string, bytes, symbol
   / <atom @atomKind AtomKind>
 
-  ; matches an embedded value in the input: #!p
+  ; matches an embedded value in the input: #:p
   / <embedded @interface SimplePattern>
 
   ; =symbol, <<lit> any>, or plain non-symbol atom
diff --git a/src/preserves/pegs.nim b/src/preserves/pegs.nim
index 34ff72c..bf62b39 100644
--- a/src/preserves/pegs.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/pegs.nim
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ grammar "Preserves":
   SymbolOrNumber <- >(+(Alpha | Digit | sympunct | symuchar))
   Symbol <- QuotedSymbol | (SymbolOrNumber * &delimiter)
 
-  Embedded <- "#!" * Value
+  Embedded <- "#:" * Value
 
   Annotation <- '@' * Value * Value
 
diff --git a/src/preserves/preserves_schema_nim.nim b/src/preserves/preserves_schema_nim.nim
index bcf7692..5ccdf5a 100644
--- a/src/preserves/preserves_schema_nim.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/preserves_schema_nim.nim
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ proc toStrLit(loc: Location; sp: SimplePattern): PNode =
     result = toStrLit(loc, def)
   of SimplePatternKind.embedded:
     doAssert not loc.schema.hasEmbeddedType
-    result = PNode(kind: nkStrLit, strVal: "#!" & toStrLit(loc, sp.embedded.interface).strVal)
+    result = PNode(kind: nkStrLit, strVal: "#:" & toStrLit(loc, sp.embedded.interface).strVal)
   else: raiseAssert $sp
 
 proc toFieldIdent(s: string): PNode =
diff --git a/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim b/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
index 381d8ac..d6a70ad 100644
--- a/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/private/parsing.nim
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ proc parsePreservesAtom*(text: string): Atom =
   let pegParser = peg("Atom", a: Atom):
     # Override rules from pegs.nim
 
-    Atom <- ?"#!" * Preserves.Atom
+    Atom <- ?"#:" * Preserves.Atom
 
     Preserves.Boolean <- Preserves.Boolean:
       case $0
diff --git a/src/preserves/private/texts.nim b/src/preserves/private/texts.nim
index f7fd678..e612b9e 100644
--- a/src/preserves/private/texts.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/private/texts.nim
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ proc writeSymbol(stream: Stream; sym: string) =
 
 proc writeText*(stream: Stream; pr: Value; mode = textPreserves) =
   ## Encode Preserves to a `Stream` as text.
-  if pr.embedded: write(stream, "#!")
+  if pr.embedded: write(stream, "#:")
   case pr.kind:
   of pkBoolean:
     case pr.bool
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ proc writeText*(stream: Stream; pr: Value; mode = textPreserves) =
         writeText(stream, value, mode)
     write(stream, '}')
   of pkEmbedded:
-    if not pr.embedded: write(stream, "#!")
+    if not pr.embedded: write(stream, "#:")
     if pr.embeddedRef.isNil:
       write(stream, "<null>")
     else:
diff --git a/src/preserves/schemaparse.nim b/src/preserves/schemaparse.nim
index 39b68f7..1dff4ad 100644
--- a/src/preserves/schemaparse.nim
+++ b/src/preserves/schemaparse.nim
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ const parser = peg("Schema", p: ParseState):
   Symbol <- "symbol":
     pushStack initRecord(toSymbol"atom", toSymbol"Symbol")
 
-  EmbeddedPattern <- "#!" * SimplePattern:
+  EmbeddedPattern <- "#:" * SimplePattern:
     var n = initRecord(toSymbol"embedded", popStack())
     pushStack n
 
diff --git a/tests/test_conversions.nim b/tests/test_conversions.nim
index 47ba47a..3c9bc34 100644
--- a/tests/test_conversions.nim
+++ b/tests/test_conversions.nim
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ suite "conversions":
       c = Foobar(a: 1, b: @[2], c: ("ku", ), e: some(true))
       b = toPreserves(c)
       a = preservesTo(b, Foobar)
-    check($b == """{a: 1 b: [2] c: #!["ku"] e: #t}""")
+    check($b == """{a: 1 b: [2] c: #:["ku"] e: #t}""")
     check(a.isSome)
     if a.isSome: check(get(a) == c)
     check(b.kind == pkDictionary)