diff --git a/Misc/ACKS b/Misc/ACKS
index 610dcf9f4238de..a788e9f3c4f2ef 100644
--- a/Misc/ACKS
+++ b/Misc/ACKS
@@ -2032,6 +2032,7 @@ Cliff Wells
 Rickard Westman
 Joseph Weston
 Jeff Wheeler
+Chris White
 Christopher White
 David White
 Mats Wichmann
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2025-03-13-13-43-51.gh-issue-131093.q2jF6K.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2025-03-13-13-43-51.gh-issue-131093.q2jF6K.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..ec90e8b83db5ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Build/2025-03-13-13-43-51.gh-issue-131093.q2jF6K.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+On GCC-compatible compilers, check at configure time that ``-std=c11``
+works. This way you don't hit an "invalid option" error at make time on old
+compilers.
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 2649a800f91a48..e3195cead26c7b 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -10059,7 +10059,51 @@ fi
 if test "x$ac_cv_gcc_compat" = xyes
 then :
 
-    CFLAGS_NODIST="$CFLAGS_NODIST -std=c11"
+    { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether C compiler accepts -std=c11" >&5
+printf %s "checking whether C compiler accepts -std=c11... " >&6; }
+if test ${ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11+y}
+then :
+  printf %s "(cached) " >&6
+else case e in #(
+  e)
+  ax_check_save_flags=$CFLAGS
+  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror -std=c11"
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+int
+main (void)
+{
+
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"
+then :
+  ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11=yes
+else case e in #(
+  e) ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11=no ;;
+esac
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.beam conftest.$ac_ext
+  CFLAGS=$ax_check_save_flags ;;
+esac
+fi
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11" >&6; }
+if test "x$ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror__std_c11" = xyes
+then :
+
+      as_fn_append CFLAGS_NODIST " -std=c11"
+
+else case e in #(
+  e)
+      as_fn_error $? "Python requires -std=c11 on gcc" "$LINENO" 5
+     ;;
+esac
+fi
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 5525a5b0ed5240..5e8c418d10dffb 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2456,7 +2456,11 @@ then
 fi
 
 AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_gcc_compat], [yes], [
-    CFLAGS_NODIST="$CFLAGS_NODIST -std=c11"
+    AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-std=c11],[
+      AS_VAR_APPEND([CFLAGS_NODIST], [" -std=c11"])
+    ], [
+      AC_MSG_ERROR([Python requires -std=c11 on gcc])
+    ], [-Werror])
 
     PY_CHECK_CC_WARNING([enable], [extra], [if we can add -Wextra])
     AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_enable_extra_warning], [yes],