diff --git a/Lib/re/_constants.py b/Lib/re/_constants.py
index 5317fd53e9c..327ba548118 100644
--- a/Lib/re/_constants.py
+++ b/Lib/re/_constants.py
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1997-2001 by Secret Labs AB.  All rights reserved.
  *
- * See the _sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
+ * See the sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
  */
 
 """)
diff --git a/Makefile.pre.in b/Makefile.pre.in
index f94ba93cff9..c1e58f7315f 100644
--- a/Makefile.pre.in
+++ b/Makefile.pre.in
@@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ Programs/python.o: $(srcdir)/Programs/python.c
 Programs/_testembed.o: $(srcdir)/Programs/_testembed.c Programs/test_frozenmain.h
 	$(MAINCC) -c $(PY_CORE_CFLAGS) -o $@ $(srcdir)/Programs/_testembed.c
 
-Modules/_sre.o: $(srcdir)/Modules/_sre.c $(srcdir)/Modules/sre.h $(srcdir)/Modules/sre_constants.h $(srcdir)/Modules/sre_lib.h
+Modules/_sre/sre.o: $(srcdir)/Modules/_sre/sre.c $(srcdir)/Modules/_sre/sre.h $(srcdir)/Modules/_sre/sre_constants.h $(srcdir)/Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h
 
 Modules/posixmodule.o: $(srcdir)/Modules/posixmodule.c $(srcdir)/Modules/posixmodule.h
 
diff --git a/Modules/Setup.bootstrap.in b/Modules/Setup.bootstrap.in
index ec724978f31..e3e9b96b063 100644
--- a/Modules/Setup.bootstrap.in
+++ b/Modules/Setup.bootstrap.in
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ _collections _collectionsmodule.c
 errno errnomodule.c
 _io _io/_iomodule.c _io/iobase.c _io/fileio.c _io/bytesio.c _io/bufferedio.c _io/textio.c _io/stringio.c
 itertools itertoolsmodule.c
-_sre _sre.c
+_sre _sre/sre.c
 _thread _threadmodule.c
 time timemodule.c
 _weakref _weakref.c
diff --git a/Modules/clinic/_sre.c.h b/Modules/_sre/clinic/sre.c.h
similarity index 100%
rename from Modules/clinic/_sre.c.h
rename to Modules/_sre/clinic/sre.c.h
diff --git a/Modules/_sre.c b/Modules/_sre/sre.c
similarity index 99%
rename from Modules/_sre.c
rename to Modules/_sre/sre.c
index 506363d6fbf..491734f2438 100644
--- a/Modules/_sre.c
+++ b/Modules/_sre/sre.c
@@ -2788,7 +2788,7 @@ pattern_richcompare(PyObject *lefto, PyObject *righto, int op)
     return PyBool_FromLong(cmp);
 }
 
-#include "clinic/_sre.c.h"
+#include "clinic/sre.c.h"
 
 static PyMethodDef pattern_methods[] = {
     _SRE_SRE_PATTERN_MATCH_METHODDEF
diff --git a/Modules/sre.h b/Modules/_sre/sre.h
similarity index 97%
rename from Modules/sre.h
rename to Modules/_sre/sre.h
index e2c5277aefb..129f5595269 100644
--- a/Modules/sre.h
+++ b/Modules/_sre/sre.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1997-2001 by Secret Labs AB.  All rights reserved.
  *
- * See the _sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
+ * See the sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
  */
 
 #ifndef SRE_INCLUDED
diff --git a/Modules/sre_constants.h b/Modules/_sre/sre_constants.h
similarity index 97%
rename from Modules/sre_constants.h
rename to Modules/_sre/sre_constants.h
index 8b249493bd5..3e3643144a9 100644
--- a/Modules/sre_constants.h
+++ b/Modules/_sre/sre_constants.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1997-2001 by Secret Labs AB.  All rights reserved.
  *
- * See the _sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
+ * See the sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
  */
 
 #define SRE_MAGIC 20220402
diff --git a/Modules/sre_lib.h b/Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h
similarity index 99%
rename from Modules/sre_lib.h
rename to Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h
index 1cc926d956c..34cd0552532 100644
--- a/Modules/sre_lib.h
+++ b/Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1997-2001 by Secret Labs AB.  All rights reserved.
  *
- * See the _sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
+ * See the sre.c file for information on usage and redistribution.
  */
 
 /* String matching engine */
diff --git a/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj b/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj
index 5e6e703df91..9894e37cb78 100644
--- a/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj
+++ b/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj
@@ -296,9 +296,6 @@
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_math.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\hashtable.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\rotatingtree.h" />
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre.h" />
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre_constants.h" />
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre_lib.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_io\_iomodule.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\cjkcodecs\alg_jisx0201.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\cjkcodecs\cjkcodecs.h" />
@@ -359,7 +356,10 @@
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_pickle.c" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_randommodule.c" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sha3\sha3module.c" />
-    <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sre.c" />
+    <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre.c" />
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre.h" />
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre_constants.h" />
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre_lib.h" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_stat.c" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_struct.c" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_weakref.c" />
diff --git a/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj.filters b/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj.filters
index 86049a2a5df..55fca4982e0 100644
--- a/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj.filters
+++ b/PCbuild/pythoncore.vcxproj.filters
@@ -240,15 +240,6 @@
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\rotatingtree.h">
       <Filter>Modules</Filter>
     </ClInclude>
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre.h">
-      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
-    </ClInclude>
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre_constants.h">
-      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
-    </ClInclude>
-    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\sre_lib.h">
-      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
-    </ClInclude>
     <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_io\_iomodule.h">
       <Filter>Modules\_io</Filter>
     </ClInclude>
@@ -731,9 +722,18 @@
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sha3\sha3module.c">
       <Filter>Modules</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
-    <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sre.c">
+    <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre.c">
       <Filter>Modules</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre.h">
+      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
+    </ClInclude>
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre_constants.h">
+      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
+    </ClInclude>
+    <ClInclude Include="..\Modules\_sre\sre_lib.h">
+      <Filter>Modules</Filter>
+    </ClInclude>
     <ClCompile Include="..\Modules\_statisticsmodule.c">
       <Filter>Modules</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
diff --git a/Tools/c-analyzer/cpython/_parser.py b/Tools/c-analyzer/cpython/_parser.py
index e58871cf73d..19000096fc9 100644
--- a/Tools/c-analyzer/cpython/_parser.py
+++ b/Tools/c-analyzer/cpython/_parser.py
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ Modules/_io/*.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_localemodule.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_operator.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_posixsubprocess.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
-Modules/_sre.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
+Modules/_sre/sre.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_threadmodule.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_tracemalloc.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
 Modules/_weakref.c	Py_BUILD_CORE	1
@@ -262,8 +262,8 @@ Modules/expat/xmlparse.c	XML_POOR_ENTROPY	1
 Modules/_dbmmodule.c	HAVE_GDBM_DASH_NDBM_H	1
 
 # others
-Modules/sre_lib.h	LOCAL(type)	static inline type
-Modules/sre_lib.h	SRE(F)	sre_ucs2_##F
+Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h	LOCAL(type)	static inline type
+Modules/_sre/sre_lib.h	SRE(F)	sre_ucs2_##F
 Objects/stringlib/codecs.h	STRINGLIB_IS_UNICODE	1
 Include/internal/pycore_bitutils.h	_Py__has_builtin(B)	0
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index bb1aa756823..a06d4c9b41d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -20557,6 +20557,7 @@ SRCDIRS="\
   Modules/_multiprocessing \
   Modules/_sha3 \
   Modules/_sqlite \
+  Modules/_sre \
   Modules/_xxtestfuzz \
   Modules/cjkcodecs \
   Modules/expat \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9f0a50ec852..abcd379d705 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -5992,6 +5992,7 @@ SRCDIRS="\
   Modules/_multiprocessing \
   Modules/_sha3 \
   Modules/_sqlite \
+  Modules/_sre \
   Modules/_xxtestfuzz \
   Modules/cjkcodecs \
   Modules/expat \