diff --git a/src/tint/sem/type.cc b/src/tint/sem/type.cc
index 23f91645b0..8ace823a4b 100644
--- a/src/tint/sem/type.cc
+++ b/src/tint/sem/type.cc
@@ -254,9 +254,9 @@ const Type* Type::ElementOf(const Type* ty, uint32_t* count /* = nullptr */) {
         },
         [&](Default) {
             if (count) {
-                *count = 0;
+                *count = 1;
             }
-            return nullptr;
+            return ty;
         });
 }
 
diff --git a/src/tint/sem/type.h b/src/tint/sem/type.h
index 8bac821ca4..434b9135af 100644
--- a/src/tint/sem/type.h
+++ b/src/tint/sem/type.h
@@ -140,21 +140,19 @@ class Type : public Castable<Type, Node> {
     /// @param count if not null, then this is assigned the number of child elements in the type.
     /// For example, the count of an `array<vec3<f32>, 5>` type would be 5.
     /// @returns
-    ///   * `ty` if `ty` is an abstract or scalar
     ///   * the element type if `ty` is a vector or array
     ///   * the column type if `ty` is a matrix
-    ///   * `nullptr` if `ty` is none of the above
+    ///   * `ty` if `ty` is none of the above
     static const Type* ElementOf(const Type* ty, uint32_t* count = nullptr);
 
     /// @param ty the type to obtain the deepest element type from
     /// @param count if not null, then this is assigned the full number of most deeply nested
     /// elements in the type. For example, the count of an `array<vec3<f32>, 5>` type would be 15.
     /// @returns
-    ///   * `ty` if `ty` is an abstract or scalar
     ///   * the element type if `ty` is a vector
     ///   * the matrix element type if `ty` is a matrix
     ///   * the deepest element type if `ty` is an array
-    ///   * `nullptr` if `ty` is none of the above
+    ///   * `ty` if `ty` is none of the above
     static const Type* DeepestElementOf(const Type* ty, uint32_t* count = nullptr);
 
     /// @param types the list of types
diff --git a/src/tint/sem/type_test.cc b/src/tint/sem/type_test.cc
index 5c7e97b76b..6ea97d345c 100644
--- a/src/tint/sem/type_test.cc
+++ b/src/tint/sem/type_test.cc
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ TEST_F(TypeTest, ElementOf) {
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(mat2x4_f32), vec4_f32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(mat4x2_f32), vec2_f32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(mat4x3_f16), vec3_f16);
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(str), nullptr);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(str), str);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(arr_i32), i32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(arr_vec3_i32), vec3_i32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(arr_mat4x3_f16), mat4x3_f16);
@@ -237,8 +237,8 @@ TEST_F(TypeTest, ElementOf) {
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(mat4x3_f16, &count), vec3_f16);
     EXPECT_EQ(count, 4u);
     count = 42;
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(str, &count), nullptr);
-    EXPECT_EQ(count, 0u);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(str, &count), str);
+    EXPECT_EQ(count, 1u);
     count = 42;
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::ElementOf(arr_i32, &count), i32);
     EXPECT_EQ(count, 5u);
@@ -270,12 +270,12 @@ TEST_F(TypeTest, DeepestElementOf) {
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(mat2x4_f32), f32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(mat4x2_f32), f32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(mat4x3_f16), f16);
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(str), nullptr);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(str), str);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_i32), i32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_vec3_i32), i32);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_mat4x3_f16), f16);
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_mat4x3_af), af);
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_str), nullptr);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_str), str);
 
     // With count
     uint32_t count = 42;
@@ -315,8 +315,8 @@ TEST_F(TypeTest, DeepestElementOf) {
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(mat4x3_f16, &count), f16);
     EXPECT_EQ(count, 12u);
     count = 42;
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(str, &count), nullptr);
-    EXPECT_EQ(count, 0u);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(str, &count), str);
+    EXPECT_EQ(count, 1u);
     count = 42;
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_i32, &count), i32);
     EXPECT_EQ(count, 5u);
@@ -330,8 +330,8 @@ TEST_F(TypeTest, DeepestElementOf) {
     EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_mat4x3_af, &count), af);
     EXPECT_EQ(count, 60u);
     count = 42;
-    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_str, &count), nullptr);
-    EXPECT_EQ(count, 0u);
+    EXPECT_TYPE(Type::DeepestElementOf(arr_str, &count), str);
+    EXPECT_EQ(count, 5u);
 }
 
 TEST_F(TypeTest, Common2) {