diff --git a/src/cmd/vet/testdata/print.go b/src/cmd/vet/testdata/print.go
index ab97256c08..6805b0ec60 100644
--- a/src/cmd/vet/testdata/print.go
+++ b/src/cmd/vet/testdata/print.go
@@ -199,6 +199,11 @@ func PrintfTests() {
 	et4.Error() // ok, not an error method.
 	var et5 errorTest5
 	et5.error() // ok, not an error method.
+	// Interfaces can be used with any verb.
+	var iface interface {
+		ToTheMadness() bool // Method ToTheMadness usually returns false
+	}
+	fmt.Printf("%f", iface) // ok: fmt treats interfaces as transparent and iface may well have a float concrete type
 	// Can't print a function.
 	Printf("%d", someFunction) // ERROR "arg someFunction in printf call is a function value, not a function call"
 	Printf("%v", someFunction) // ERROR "arg someFunction in printf call is a function value, not a function call"
diff --git a/src/cmd/vet/types.go b/src/cmd/vet/types.go
index 4d0e6154b8..35ee19c85b 100644
--- a/src/cmd/vet/types.go
+++ b/src/cmd/vet/types.go
@@ -185,13 +185,10 @@ func (f *File) matchArgTypeInternal(t printfArgType, typ types.Type, arg ast.Exp
 		return f.matchStructArgType(t, typ, arg, inProgress)
 
 	case *types.Interface:
-		// If the static type of the argument is empty interface, there's little we can do.
-		// Example:
-		//	func f(x interface{}) { fmt.Printf("%s", x) }
-		// Whether x is valid for %s depends on the type of the argument to f. One day
-		// we will be able to do better. For now, we assume that empty interface is OK
-		// but non-empty interfaces, with Stringer and Error handled above, are errors.
-		return typ.NumMethods() == 0
+		// There's little we can do.
+		// Whether any particular verb is valid depends on the argument.
+		// The user may have reasonable prior knowledge of the contents of the interface.
+		return true
 
 	case *types.Basic:
 		switch typ.Kind() {