diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/exprs/Literal.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/exprs/Literal.qll
index 750afcbd7f5..8e6ed1a709b 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/exprs/Literal.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/exprs/Literal.qll
@@ -208,7 +208,8 @@ class ClassAggregateLiteral extends AggregateLiteral {
 
   /**
    * Gets the expression within the aggregate literal that is used to initialize
-   * field `field` the `repitition`'th time in the initializer list, if present.
+   * field `field`, if present. The expression is the `position`'th entry in the
+   * aggregate literal.
    *
    * For example, if `aggr` represents the initialization literal `{.x = 1234, .x = 5678}` in
    * ```cpp
@@ -217,10 +218,10 @@ class ClassAggregateLiteral extends AggregateLiteral {
    * ```
    * then `aggr.getFieldExpr(x, 0)` gives `1234`, and `aggr.getFieldExpr(x, 1)` gives `5678`.
    */
-  Expr getFieldExpr(Field field, int repitition) {
+  Expr getFieldExpr(Field field, int position) {
     field = classType.getAField() and
     aggregate_field_init(underlyingElement(this), unresolveElement(result), unresolveElement(field),
-      repitition)
+      position)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -309,7 +310,8 @@ class ArrayOrVectorAggregateLiteral extends AggregateLiteral {
 
   /**
    * Gets the expression within the aggregate literal that is used to initialize
-   * element `elementIndex` the `repitition`'th time in the initializer list, if present.
+   * element `elementIndex`, if present. The expression is the `position`'th entry
+   * in the aggregate literal.
    *
    * For example, if `a` represents the initialization literal `{[0] = 1234, [0] = 5678}` in
    * ```cpp
@@ -317,8 +319,8 @@ class ArrayOrVectorAggregateLiteral extends AggregateLiteral {
    * ```
    * then `a.getElementExpr(0, 0)` gives `1234`, and `a.getElementExpr(0, 1)` gives `5678`.
    */
-  Expr getElementExpr(int elementIndex, int repitition) {
-    aggregate_array_init(underlyingElement(this), unresolveElement(result), elementIndex, repitition)
+  Expr getElementExpr(int elementIndex, int position) {
+    aggregate_array_init(underlyingElement(this), unresolveElement(result), elementIndex, position)
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedElement.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedElement.qll
index 70061b453a9..c320c7aa49e 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedElement.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedElement.qll
@@ -619,11 +619,11 @@ newtype TTranslatedElement =
     )
   } or
   // The initialization of a field via a member of an initializer list.
-  TTranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization(Expr ast, Field field, Expr expr, int repitition) {
+  TTranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization(Expr ast, Field field, Expr expr, int position) {
     exists(ClassAggregateLiteral initList |
       not ignoreExpr(initList) and
       ast = initList and
-      expr = initList.getFieldExpr(field, repitition).getFullyConverted()
+      expr = initList.getFieldExpr(field, position).getFullyConverted()
     )
     or
     exists(ConstructorFieldInit init |
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ newtype TTranslatedElement =
       ast = init and
       field = init.getTarget() and
       expr = init.getExpr().getFullyConverted() and
-      repitition = 0
+      position = -1
     )
   } or
   // The value initialization of a field due to an omitted member of an
@@ -645,10 +645,10 @@ newtype TTranslatedElement =
   } or
   // The initialization of an array element via a member of an initializer list.
   TTranslatedExplicitElementInitialization(
-    ArrayOrVectorAggregateLiteral initList, int elementIndex, int repitition
+    ArrayOrVectorAggregateLiteral initList, int elementIndex, int position
   ) {
     not ignoreExpr(initList) and
-    exists(initList.getElementExpr(elementIndex, repitition))
+    exists(initList.getElementExpr(elementIndex, position))
   } or
   // The value initialization of a range of array elements that were omitted
   // from an initializer list.
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedInitialization.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedInitialization.qll
index 315d66b1a4c..5e50c834d67 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedInitialization.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/implementation/raw/internal/TranslatedInitialization.qll
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ class TranslatedClassListInitialization extends TranslatedListInitialization {
         fieldInit = getTranslatedFieldInitialization(expr, _) and
         fieldInit.getOrder() = ord
       |
-        fieldInit order by ord, fieldInit.getRepetitionIndex()
+        fieldInit order by ord, fieldInit.getPosition()
       )
   }
 }
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ class TranslatedArrayListInitialization extends TranslatedListInitialization {
       rank[id + 1](TranslatedElementInitialization init |
         init.getInitList() = expr
       |
-        init order by init.getElementIndex(), init.getRepetitionIndex()
+        init order by init.getElementIndex(), init.getPosition()
       )
   }
 }
@@ -525,11 +525,8 @@ abstract class TranslatedFieldInitialization extends TranslatedElement {
 
   final Field getField() { result = field }
 
-  /**
-   * Gets the index of this initialization, if the field is mentioned
-   * multiple times in the initializer.
-   */
-  int getRepetitionIndex() { result = 0 }
+  /** Gets the position in the initializer list, or `-1` if the initialization is implicit. */
+  int getPosition() { result = -1 }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -540,10 +537,10 @@ class TranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization extends TranslatedFieldInitializatio
   InitializationContext, TTranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization
 {
   Expr expr;
-  int repitition;
+  int position;
 
   TranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization() {
-    this = TTranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization(ast, field, expr, repitition)
+    this = TTranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization(ast, field, expr, position)
   }
 
   override Instruction getTargetAddress() { result = getInstruction(getFieldAddressTag()) }
@@ -566,7 +563,7 @@ class TranslatedExplicitFieldInitialization extends TranslatedFieldInitializatio
     result = getTranslatedInitialization(expr)
   }
 
-  override int getRepetitionIndex() { result = repitition }
+  override int getPosition() { result = position }
 }
 
 private string getZeroValue(Type type) {
@@ -700,7 +697,7 @@ abstract class TranslatedElementInitialization extends TranslatedElement {
 
   abstract int getElementIndex();
 
-  int getRepetitionIndex() { result = 0 }
+  int getPosition() { result = -1 }
 
   final InstructionTag getElementAddressTag() { result = InitializerElementAddressTag() }
 
@@ -719,10 +716,10 @@ class TranslatedExplicitElementInitialization extends TranslatedElementInitializ
   TTranslatedExplicitElementInitialization, InitializationContext
 {
   int elementIndex;
-  int repetition;
+  int position;
 
   TranslatedExplicitElementInitialization() {
-    this = TTranslatedExplicitElementInitialization(initList, elementIndex, repetition)
+    this = TTranslatedExplicitElementInitialization(initList, elementIndex, position)
   }
 
   override Instruction getTargetAddress() { result = getInstruction(getElementAddressTag()) }
@@ -745,12 +742,12 @@ class TranslatedExplicitElementInitialization extends TranslatedElementInitializ
 
   override int getElementIndex() { result = elementIndex }
 
-  override int getRepetitionIndex() { result = repetition }
+  override int getPosition() { result = position }
 
   TranslatedInitialization getInitialization() {
     result =
       getTranslatedInitialization(initList
-            .getElementExpr(elementIndex, repetition)
+            .getElementExpr(elementIndex, position)
             .getFullyConverted())
   }
 }