Hm, I see what you mean, but I also see the same colon in 4.0.1, 3.9.3, and 3.8.5, so I assume it’s something else causing your trouble.
Try downloading WordPress again and delete then replace your copies of everything except the wp-config.php file and the /wp-content/ directory with fresh copies from the download. This will effectively replace all of your core files without damaging your content and settings. Some uploaders tend to be unreliable when overwriting files, so don’t forget to delete the original files before replacing them.
If that doesn’t make any difference, try manually resetting your plugins (no Dashboard access required). If that resolves the issue, reactivate each one individually until you find the cause.
If that does not resolve the issue, access your server via FTP or SFTP, navigate to /wp-content/themes/ and rename the directory of your currently active theme. This will force the default theme to activate and hopefully rule-out a theme-specific issue (theme functions can interfere like plugins).
If all of the above fails, which version of PHP are you running?
Structures like this
if ......... :
are correct php syntax.
Thanks for confirming, Ross!
