diff --git a/specification/trace/api.md b/specification/trace/api.md
index 51fbc757f0c..325a0485ae8 100644
--- a/specification/trace/api.md
+++ b/specification/trace/api.md
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@ requested parent SpanContext:
 
 * A valid `SpanContext` is specified as the parent of the new `Span`: The API MUST treat this parent context as the
 context for the newly created `Span`. This means that a `SpanContext` that has been provided by a configured `Propagator`
-will be propagated through the resulting call stack, but that no new `SpanContext`s will be created.
+will be propagated through to any child span, but that no new `SpanContext`s will be created.
 * No valid `SpanContext` is specified as the parent of the new `Span`: The API MUST create an non-valid
 (both SpanID and TradeID are all zeros) `Span` for use
 by the API caller. This means that both the `TraceID` and the `SpanID` should be invalid.