diff --git a/usr.bin/make/arch.c b/usr.bin/make/arch.c
index 13ac175e5fe..8276fbb2db4 100644
--- a/usr.bin/make/arch.c
+++ b/usr.bin/make/arch.c
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ Arch_ParseArchive(char **linePtr, Lst *nodeLst, GNode *ctxt)
 			 * Variable spec, so call the Var module to parse the
 			 * puppy so we can safely advance beyond it...
 			 */
-			size_t	length;
+			size_t	length = 0;
 			Boolean	freeIt;
 			char	*result;
 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ Arch_ParseArchive(char **linePtr, Lst *nodeLst, GNode *ctxt)
 				 * parse the puppy so we can safely advance
 				 * beyond it...
 				 */
-				size_t	length;
+				size_t	length = 0;
 				Boolean	freeIt;
 				char	*result;
 
diff --git a/usr.bin/make/cond.c b/usr.bin/make/cond.c
index 4f6f66a9ec3..6debeee9ae7 100644
--- a/usr.bin/make/cond.c
+++ b/usr.bin/make/cond.c
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ CondGetArg(char **linePtr, char **argPtr, const char *func, Boolean parens)
 	     * though perhaps we should...
 	     */
 	    char  	*cp2;
-	    size_t	len;
+	    size_t	len = 0;
 	    Boolean	doFree;
 
 	    cp2 = Var_Parse(cp, VAR_CMD, TRUE, &len, &doFree);
@@ -518,7 +518,7 @@ CondToken(Boolean doEval)
 		char	*lhs;
 		char	*rhs;
 		const char *op;
-		size_t	varSpecLen;
+		size_t	varSpecLen = 0;
 		Boolean	doFree;
 
 		/*
@@ -630,8 +630,8 @@ do_string_compare:
 			    cp++;
 			    Buf_AddByte(buf, (Byte)*cp);
 			} else if (*cp == '$') {
-			    size_t len;
-			    Boolean freeIt;
+			    size_t	len = 0;
+			    Boolean	freeIt;
 
 			    cp2 = Var_Parse(cp, VAR_CMD, doEval, &len, &freeIt);
 			    if (cp2 != var_Error) {
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@ do_string_compare:
 		    if (*CondCvtArg(lhs, &left) != '\0')
 			goto do_string_compare;
 		    if (*rhs == '$') {
-			size_t len;
+			size_t	len = 0;
 			Boolean	freeIt;
 
 			string = Var_Parse(rhs, VAR_CMD, doEval, &len, &freeIt);
@@ -803,9 +803,9 @@ error:
 		     * Use Var_Parse to parse the spec in parens and return
 		     * True if the resulting string is empty.
 		     */
-		    size_t length;
-		    Boolean doFree;
-		    char    *val;
+		    size_t	length;
+		    Boolean	doFree;
+		    char	*val;
 
 		    condExpr += 5;
 
@@ -815,6 +815,7 @@ error:
 			continue;
 
 		    if (condExpr[arglen] != '\0') {
+			length = 0;
 			val = Var_Parse(&condExpr[arglen - 1], VAR_CMD,
 					FALSE, &length, &doFree);
 			if (val == var_Error) {
diff --git a/usr.bin/make/parse.c b/usr.bin/make/parse.c
index 4618489c64f..36bdd308193 100644
--- a/usr.bin/make/parse.c
+++ b/usr.bin/make/parse.c
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ ParseDoDependency(char *line)
 		 * no errors in this, as they would have been discovered
 		 * in the initial Var_Subst and we wouldn't be here.
 		 */
-		size_t length;
+		size_t	length = 0;
 		Boolean	freeIt;
 		char	*result;
 
diff --git a/usr.bin/make/suff.c b/usr.bin/make/suff.c
index a6c86505852..43d9995ea8d 100644
--- a/usr.bin/make/suff.c
+++ b/usr.bin/make/suff.c
@@ -1365,7 +1365,7 @@ SuffExpandChildren(void *cgnp, void *pgnp)
 			 * to find the end so we can skip over it.
 			 */
 			char	*junk;
-			size_t len;
+			size_t	len = 0;
 			Boolean	doFree;
 
 			junk = Var_Parse(cp, pgn, TRUE, &len, &doFree);
diff --git a/usr.bin/make/var.c b/usr.bin/make/var.c
index 06054b826eb..32fc0ba0c38 100644
--- a/usr.bin/make/var.c
+++ b/usr.bin/make/var.c
@@ -731,6 +731,7 @@ VarGetPattern(GNode *ctxt, int err, char **tstr, int delim, int *flags,
 		     * delimiter, assume it's a variable
 		     * substitution and recurse.
 		     */
+		    len = 0;
 		    cp2 = Var_Parse(cp, ctxt, err, &len, &freeIt);
 		    Buf_Append(buf, cp2);
 		    if (freeIt)
@@ -1028,6 +1029,7 @@ ParseModifier(const char input[], char tstr[],
 				size_t	len;
 				Boolean	freeIt;
 
+				len = 0;
 				cp2 = Var_Parse(cp, ctxt, err, &len, &freeIt);
 				Buf_Append(buf, cp2);
 				if (freeIt) {
@@ -1092,6 +1094,7 @@ ParseModifier(const char input[], char tstr[],
 			    size_t	len;
 			    Boolean	freeIt;
 
+			    len = 0;
 			    cp2 = Var_Parse(cp, ctxt, err, &len, &freeIt);
 			    Buf_Append(buf, cp2);
 			    cp += len - 1;
@@ -1528,6 +1531,7 @@ VarParseLong(char foo[], GNode *ctxt, Boolean err, size_t *lengthPtr,
 		Boolean	rfree;
 		char	*rval;
 
+		rlen = 0;
 		rval = Var_Parse(tstr, ctxt, err, &rlen, &rfree);
 		if (rval == var_Error) {
 			Fatal("Error expanding embedded variable.");
@@ -1920,6 +1924,7 @@ Var_Subst(const char *var, char *str, GNode *ctxt, Boolean undefErr)
 		    continue;
 	    }
 
+	    length = 0;
 	    val = Var_Parse(str, ctxt, undefErr, &length, &doFree);
 
 	    /*