diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.combined.ww
index f9a17726..1f759d17 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.combined.ww
@@ -2876,23 +2876,12 @@ fn pathstr(p: *u8) str = {
 };
 
 fn cstreq(a: *u8, b: *u8) bool = {
-	let i: u64 = 0u64;
-	for (a[i] == b[i]) {
-		if (a[i] == 0u8) { return true; };
-		i += 1u64;
-	};
-	return false;
+	return strings.compare(pathstr(a), pathstr(b)) == 0;
 };
 
 // cstreqlit — compare a NUL-terminated *u8 to a ww string literal.
 fn cstreqlit(a: *u8, lit: str) bool = {
-	let n: i32 = lit.len;
-	let i: i32 = 0;
-	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != lit[i]) { return false; };
-		i += 1;
-	};
-	return a[n] == 0u8;
+	return strings.compare(pathstr(a), lit) == 0;
 };
 
 // memcpy
@@ -3782,17 +3771,7 @@ fn buildone(selfdir: *u8, src: *u8, entryisdir: i32, out: *u8, incs: *u8, lf: *l
 //        <dir>/<name>.ww  or  <dir>/<name>/<name>.ww
 
 fn cstrendswithlit(p: *u8, lit: str) bool = {
-	let plen: u64 = cstrlen(p);
-	let slen: u64 = lit.len: u64;
-	if (plen < slen) { return false; };
-	let off: u64 = plen - slen;
-	let i: i32 = 0;
-	for (i < lit.len) {
-		let iu: u64 = i: u64;
-		if (p[off + iu] != lit[i]) { return false; };
-		i += 1;
-	};
-	return true;
+	return strings.hassuffix(pathstr(p), lit);
 };
 
 // basenameoff — return the offset of the last path segment within `p`
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww b/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww
index 212b9869..1904f3c4 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww
@@ -42,23 +42,12 @@ fn pathstr(p: *u8) str = {
 };
 
 fn cstreq(a: *u8, b: *u8) bool = {
-	let i: u64 = 0u64;
-	for (a[i] == b[i]) {
-		if (a[i] == 0u8) { return true; };
-		i += 1u64;
-	};
-	return false;
+	return strings.compare(pathstr(a), pathstr(b)) == 0;
 };
 
 // cstreqlit — compare a NUL-terminated *u8 to a ww string literal.
 fn cstreqlit(a: *u8, lit: str) bool = {
-	let n: i32 = lit.len;
-	let i: i32 = 0;
-	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != lit[i]) { return false; };
-		i += 1;
-	};
-	return a[n] == 0u8;
+	return strings.compare(pathstr(a), lit) == 0;
 };
 
 // memcpy
@@ -948,17 +937,7 @@ fn buildone(selfdir: *u8, src: *u8, entryisdir: i32, out: *u8, incs: *u8, lf: *l
 //        <dir>/<name>.ww  or  <dir>/<name>/<name>.ww
 
 fn cstrendswithlit(p: *u8, lit: str) bool = {
-	let plen: u64 = cstrlen(p);
-	let slen: u64 = lit.len: u64;
-	if (plen < slen) { return false; };
-	let off: u64 = plen - slen;
-	let i: i32 = 0;
-	for (i < lit.len) {
-		let iu: u64 = i: u64;
-		if (p[off + iu] != lit[i]) { return false; };
-		i += 1;
-	};
-	return true;
+	return strings.hassuffix(pathstr(p), lit);
 };
 
 // basenameoff — return the offset of the last path segment within `p`