Index: head/Mk/Uses/ncurses.mk
===================================================================
--- head/Mk/Uses/ncurses.mk
+++ head/Mk/Uses/ncurses.mk
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@
 .if ${ncurses_ARGS} == base
 NCURSESBASE=	/usr
 NCURSESINC=	${NCURSESBASE}/include
+.if !exists(/usr/lib/libncursesw.so)
+NCURSES_IMPL=	ncurses
+.endif
 
 .  if exists(${LOCALBASE}/lib/libncurses.so)
 _USES_sanity+=	400:check-depends-ncurses
@@ -85,5 +88,6 @@
 .endif
 
 NCURSESLIB=	${NCURSESBASE}/lib
+NCURSES_IMPL?=	ncursesw
 
 .endif
Index: head/textproc/aspell/Makefile
===================================================================
--- head/textproc/aspell/Makefile
+++ head/textproc/aspell/Makefile
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 GNU_CONFIGURE=	yes
 CONFIGURE_ARGS=	--enable-dict-dir=${DATADIR}	\
 		--enable-docdir=${DOCSDIR}	\
-		--enable-curses=ncursesw \
+		--enable-curses=${NCURSES_IMPL} \
 		--enable-static
 
 USE_LDCONFIG=	yes
Index: head/www/lynx-current/Makefile
===================================================================
--- head/www/lynx-current/Makefile
+++ head/www/lynx-current/Makefile
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 		--enable-ipv6 \
 		--with-mime-libdir=${PREFIX}/etc \
 		${ICONV_CONFIGURE_ARG} \
-		--with-screen=ncursesw
+		--with-screen=${NCURSES_IMPL}
 CPE_VERSION=	${PORTVERSION:C/[pd].+//}
 CPE_UPDATE=	${PORTVERSION:E:C/[0-9]+//:S/p/pre./:S/d/dev./}
 
Index: head/www/newsboat/Makefile
===================================================================
--- head/www/newsboat/Makefile
+++ head/www/newsboat/Makefile
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's,fail "ncursesw",true,; s,fail "libcrypto",true,' \
 		-e 's,fail "libssl",true,' \
 		${WRKSRC}/config.sh
-	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's|-liconv|${ICONV_LIB} -lcrypto -lncursesw|;s|-Werror||' \
+	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's|-liconv|${ICONV_LIB} -lcrypto -l${NCURSES_IMPL}|;s|-Werror||' \
 		${WRKSRC}/Makefile
 
 post-install: