diff --git a/nvm.sh b/nvm.sh
index 4d7170d..0b77f29 100644
--- a/nvm.sh
+++ b/nvm.sh
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ nvm_ls() {
   fi
 
   if [ -f "$NVM_DIR/alias/$PATTERN" ]; then
-    nvm_version "$(cat "$NVM_DIR/alias/$PATTERN")"
+    nvm_version "$(nvm_alias "$PATTERN" 2> /dev/null)"
     return
   fi
   # If it looks like an explicit version, don't do anything funny