diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 34ce38bf..f4e032f1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 * [#581](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/581): Fix font locking not working for keywords starting with a number.
 * [#377](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/issues/377): Fix everything starting with the prefix 'def' being highlighted as a definition form. Now definition forms are enumerated explicitly in the font-locking code, like all other forms.
+* [#638](https://github.com/clojure-emacs/clojure-mode/pull/638): Fix imenu with Clojure code in string or comment.
 
 ## 5.15.1 (2022-07-30)
 
diff --git a/clojure-mode.el b/clojure-mode.el
index 27a02f80..fc3813e5 100644
--- a/clojure-mode.el
+++ b/clojure-mode.el
@@ -777,7 +777,9 @@ Called by `imenu--generic-function'."
       (let (found?
             (deftype (match-string 2))
             (start (point)))
-        (down-list)
+        ;; ignore user-error from down-list when called from inside a string or comment
+        (ignore-errors
+          (down-list))
         (forward-sexp)
         (while (not found?)
           (ignore-errors