diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index ff40c2c..da71cd6 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -864,6 +864,8 @@
 Build
 -----
 
+- Issue #3754: fix typo in pthread AC_CACHE_VAL.
+
 - Issue #17029: Let h2py search the multiarch system include directory.
 
 - Issue #16953: Fix socket module compilation on platforms with
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 00a1007..f7e49b8 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6056,7 +6056,7 @@
 # function available.
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether $CC accepts -pthread" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking whether $CC accepts -pthread... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_thread+:} false; then :
+if ${ac_cv_pthread+:} false; then :
   $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
 else
   ac_save_cc="$CC"
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 379db32..19cf1ae 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1283,7 +1283,7 @@
 # so we need to run a program to see whether it really made the
 # function available.
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether $CC accepts -pthread)
-AC_CACHE_VAL(ac_cv_thread,
+AC_CACHE_VAL(ac_cv_pthread,
 [ac_save_cc="$CC"
 CC="$CC -pthread"
 AC_RUN_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([[