diff --git a/docs/changes.txt b/docs/changes.txt
index e27130aec2..850405d9ca 100644
--- a/docs/changes.txt
+++ b/docs/changes.txt
@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ Changes in behaviour which may result in build errors
 - wxHtmlCell::AdjustPagebreak() has lost its "known_pagebreaks" argument,
   update your code if you override this method (you shouldn't be calling it).
 
+- wxListCtrl::SetItem() overload taking the column index now returns bool and
+  not long. Its return value hasn't changed, however, and is still always
+  either true or false, so normally the existing code should continue to work.
+
 
 3.1.2: (released 2018-??-??)
 ----------------------------
diff --git a/include/wx/generic/listctrl.h b/include/wx/generic/listctrl.h
index 6b71353fed..f1159daf9f 100644
--- a/include/wx/generic/listctrl.h
+++ b/include/wx/generic/listctrl.h
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public:
 
     bool GetItem( wxListItem& info ) const;
     bool SetItem( wxListItem& info ) ;
-    long SetItem( long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1 );
+    bool SetItem( long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1 );
     int  GetItemState( long item, long stateMask ) const;
     bool SetItemState( long item, long state, long stateMask);
     bool SetItemImage( long item, int image, int selImage = -1 );
diff --git a/include/wx/msw/listctrl.h b/include/wx/msw/listctrl.h
index 78010b212e..2c27e56b6a 100644
--- a/include/wx/msw/listctrl.h
+++ b/include/wx/msw/listctrl.h
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public:
     bool SetItem(wxListItem& info);
 
     // Sets a string field at a particular column
-    long SetItem(long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1);
+    bool SetItem(long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1);
 
     // Gets the item state
     int  GetItemState(long item, long stateMask) const;
diff --git a/interface/wx/listctrl.h b/interface/wx/listctrl.h
index bd6bbad11a..49bfdb85ef 100644
--- a/interface/wx/listctrl.h
+++ b/interface/wx/listctrl.h
@@ -1093,13 +1093,19 @@ public:
 
         Using the wxListItem's mask and state mask, you can change only selected
         attributes of a wxListCtrl item.
+
+        @return @true if the item was successfully updated or @false if the
+            update failed for some reason (e.g. an invalid item index).
     */
     bool SetItem(wxListItem& info);
 
     /**
         Sets an item string field at a particular column.
+
+        @return @true if the item was successfully updated or @false if the
+        update failed for some reason (e.g. an invalid item index).
     */
-    long SetItem(long index, int column, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1);
+    bool SetItem(long index, int column, const wxString& label, int imageId = -1);
 
     /**
         Sets the background colour for this item.
diff --git a/src/generic/listctrl.cpp b/src/generic/listctrl.cpp
index db4e1fd70a..f3e591d449 100644
--- a/src/generic/listctrl.cpp
+++ b/src/generic/listctrl.cpp
@@ -4913,7 +4913,7 @@ bool wxGenericListCtrl::SetItem( wxListItem &info )
     return true;
 }
 
-long wxGenericListCtrl::SetItem( long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId )
+bool wxGenericListCtrl::SetItem( long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId )
 {
     wxListItem info;
     info.m_text = label;
diff --git a/src/msw/listctrl.cpp b/src/msw/listctrl.cpp
index ad763145ba..45041dcf6f 100644
--- a/src/msw/listctrl.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/listctrl.cpp
@@ -956,7 +956,7 @@ bool wxListCtrl::SetItem(wxListItem& info)
     return true;
 }
 
-long wxListCtrl::SetItem(long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId)
+bool wxListCtrl::SetItem(long index, int col, const wxString& label, int imageId)
 {
     wxListItem info;
     info.m_text = label;