diff --git a/backends/rtlil/rtlil_backend.cc b/backends/rtlil/rtlil_backend.cc
index 08cd7f754..a23e5ec21 100644
--- a/backends/rtlil/rtlil_backend.cc
+++ b/backends/rtlil/rtlil_backend.cc
@@ -313,7 +313,17 @@ void RTLIL_BACKEND::dump_module(std::ostream &f, std::string indent, RTLIL::Modu
 		module->cloneInto(new_module);
 		module = new_module;
 		module->sort();
-		std::sort(module->connections_.begin(), module->connections_.end());
+		for (auto& [lhs, rhs] : module->connections_) {
+			if (std::string(log_signal(lhs)) < std::string(log_signal(rhs))) {
+				std::swap(lhs, rhs);
+			}
+		}
+		std::sort(module->connections_.begin(), module->connections_.end(), [](const auto &a, const auto &b) {
+			if (std::string(log_signal(a.first)) != std::string(log_signal(b.first))) {
+				return std::string(log_signal(a.first)) < std::string(log_signal(b.first));
+			}
+			return std::string(log_signal(a.second)) < std::string(log_signal(b.second));
+		});
 	}
 
 	if (print_header)