How Do You Troubleshoot the Error “req: Use -help for summary”?

Problem scenario
You run a command like this:

sudo openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout contint.key -x509 -days 9999 contint.crt

You get this as the output: "req: Use -help for summary."

What should you do?

Possible Solution #1
Use the "-out" flag between "9999" and "contint.crt".

Possible Solution #2
Do you have an extra "-new" flag in your command? There may be an extraneous flag that should not be there.

Possible Solution #3
Can you simplify the command? Complex commands with potential escape characters could create confusion. To isolate the problem, start with a simple version of what you are trying to run. Then start using arguments of a greater complexity on that working command.

Possible Solution #4
See this serverfault.com posting.