diff --git a/Lib/logging/__init__.py b/Lib/logging/__init__.py
index 456dec906a3..23f7930b697 100644
--- a/Lib/logging/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/logging/__init__.py
@@ -1397,6 +1397,10 @@ def basicConfig(**kwargs):
         root.addHandler(hdlr)
         level = kwargs.get("level")
         if level is not None:
+            if str(level) == level: # If a string was passed, do more checks
+                if level not in _levelNames:
+                    raise ValueError("Unknown level: %r" % level)
+                level = _levelNames[level]
             root.setLevel(level)
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 86666ffaa2c..2985c3aa70e 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -327,7 +327,10 @@ Core and Builtins
 Library
 -------
 
-- Issue #6164: Added an AIX specific linker argument in Distutils 
+- Issue #6314: logging.basicConfig() performs extra checks on the "level"
+  argument.
+
+- Issue #6164: Added an AIX specific linker argument in Distutils
   unixcompiler. Original patch by Sridhar Ratnakumar.
 
 - Issue #6274: Fixed possible file descriptors leak in subprocess.py