diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
index 25f926fb8f..544bc95ff9 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/src/config.ts
@@ -503,6 +503,9 @@ export function validateConfig(config: Routes): void {
 }
 
 function validateNode(route: Route): void {
+  if (Array.isArray(route)) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid route configuration: Array cannot be specified`);
+  }
   if (!!route.redirectTo && !!route.children) {
     throw new Error(
         `Invalid configuration of route '${route.path}': redirectTo and children cannot be used together`);
diff --git a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
index 98213b3540..c85377a0f9 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/router/test/config.spec.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,15 @@ describe('config', () => {
       validateConfig([{path: 'a', redirectTo: 'b'}, {path: 'b', component: ComponentA}]);
     });
 
+    it('should throw when Array is passed', () => {
+      expect(() => {
+        validateConfig([
+          {path: 'a', component: ComponentA},
+          [{path: 'b', component: ComponentB}, {path: 'c', component: ComponentC}]
+        ]);
+      }).toThrowError(`Invalid route configuration: Array cannot be specified`);
+    });
+
     it('should throw when redirectTo and children are used together', () => {
       expect(() => {
         validateConfig(