diff --git a/Doc/library/dbm.rst b/Doc/library/dbm.rst
index ed05921e6ff..84edbbec787 100644
--- a/Doc/library/dbm.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/dbm.rst
@@ -52,7 +52,9 @@
 The object returned by :func:`open` supports most of the same functionality as
 dictionaries; keys and their corresponding values can be stored, retrieved, and
 deleted, and the :keyword:`in` operator and the :meth:`keys` method are
-available.  Keys and values must always be strings.
+available. Key and values are always stored as bytes. This means that when
+strings are used they are implicitly converted to the default encoding before
+being stored.
 
 The following example records some hostnames and a corresponding title,  and
 then prints out the contents of the database::
@@ -63,9 +65,15 @@ then prints out the contents of the database::
    db = dbm.open('cache', 'c')
 
    # Record some values
+   db[b'hello'] = b'there'
    db['www.python.org'] = 'Python Website'
    db['www.cnn.com'] = 'Cable News Network'
 
+   # Note that the keys are considered bytes now.
+   assert db[b'www.python.org'] == b'Python Website'
+   # Notice how the value is now in bytes.
+   assert db['www.cnn.com'] == b'Cable News Network'
+
    # Loop through contents.  Other dictionary methods
    # such as .keys(), .values() also work.
    for k, v in db.iteritems():
@@ -98,17 +106,18 @@ The individual submodules are described in the following sections.
 
 This module is quite similar to the :mod:`dbm` module, but uses the GNU library
 ``gdbm`` instead to provide some additional functionality.  Please note that the
-file formats created by ``gdbm`` and ``dbm`` are incompatible.
+file formats created by :mod:`dbm.gnu` and :mod:`dbm.ndbm` are incompatible.
 
 The :mod:`dbm.gnu` module provides an interface to the GNU DBM library.
-``gdbm`` objects behave like mappings (dictionaries), except that keys and
-values are always strings.  Printing a :mod:`dbm.gnu` object doesn't print the
+``dbm.gnu.gdbm`` objects behave like mappings (dictionaries), except that keys and
+values are always converted to bytes before storing.  Printing a ``gdbm``
+object doesn't print the
 keys and values, and the :meth:`items` and :meth:`values` methods are not
 supported.
 
 .. exception:: error
 
-   Raised on ``gdbm``\ -specific errors, such as I/O errors. :exc:`KeyError` is
+   Raised on :mod:`dbm.gnu`-specific errors, such as I/O errors. :exc:`KeyError` is
    raised for general mapping errors like specifying an incorrect key.
 
 
@@ -183,7 +192,7 @@ supported.
 
       If you have carried out a lot of deletions and would like to shrink the space
       used by the ``gdbm`` file, this routine will reorganize the database.  ``gdbm``
-      will not shorten the length of a database file except by using this
+      objects will not shorten the length of a database file except by using this
       reorganization; otherwise, deleted file space will be kept and reused as new
       (key, value) pairs are added.
 
@@ -203,8 +212,8 @@ supported.
 
 The :mod:`dbm.ndbm` module provides an interface to the Unix "(n)dbm" library.
 Dbm objects behave like mappings (dictionaries), except that keys and values are
-always strings. Printing a dbm object doesn't print the keys and values, and the
-:meth:`items` and :meth:`values` methods are not supported.
+always stored as bytes. Printing a ``dbm`` object doesn't print the keys and
+values, and the :meth:`items` and :meth:`values` methods are not supported.
 
 This module can be used with the "classic" ndbm interface, the BSD DB
 compatibility interface, or the GNU GDBM compatibility interface. On Unix, the
@@ -213,7 +222,7 @@ to simplify building this module.
 
 .. exception:: error
 
-   Raised on dbm-specific errors, such as I/O errors. :exc:`KeyError` is raised
+   Raised on :mod:`dbm.ndbm`-specific errors, such as I/O errors. :exc:`KeyError` is raised
    for general mapping errors like specifying an incorrect key.
 
 
@@ -224,7 +233,7 @@ to simplify building this module.
 
 .. function:: open(filename[, flag[, mode]])
 
-   Open a dbm database and return a dbm object.  The *filename* argument is the
+   Open a dbm database and return a ``dbm`` object.  The *filename* argument is the
    name of the database file (without the :file:`.dir` or :file:`.pag` extensions;
    note that the BSD DB implementation of the interface will append the extension
    :file:`.db` and only create one file).
@@ -264,27 +273,27 @@ to simplify building this module.
 .. note::
 
    The :mod:`dbm.dumb` module is intended as a last resort fallback for the
-   :mod:`dbm` module when no more robust module is available. The :mod:`dbm.dumb`
+   :mod:`dbm` module when a more robust module is not available. The :mod:`dbm.dumb`
    module is not written for speed and is not nearly as heavily used as the other
    database modules.
 
 The :mod:`dbm.dumb` module provides a persistent dictionary-like interface which
-is written entirely in Python.  Unlike other modules such as :mod:`gdbm` no
+is written entirely in Python.  Unlike other modules such as :mod:`dbm.gnu` no
 external library is required.  As with other persistent mappings, the keys and
-values must always be strings.
+values are always stored as bytes.
 
 The module defines the following:
 
 
 .. exception:: error
 
-   Raised on dbm.dumb-specific errors, such as I/O errors.  :exc:`KeyError` is
+   Raised on :mod:`dbm.dumb`-specific errors, such as I/O errors.  :exc:`KeyError` is
    raised for general mapping errors like specifying an incorrect key.
 
 
 .. function:: open(filename[, flag[, mode]])
 
-   Open a dumbdbm database and return a dumbdbm object.  The *filename* argument is
+   Open a ``dumbdbm`` database and return a dumbdbm object.  The *filename* argument is
    the basename of the database file (without any specific extensions).  When a
    dumbdbm database is created, files with :file:`.dat` and :file:`.dir` extensions
    are created.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_dbm_dumb.py b/Lib/test/test_dbm_dumb.py
index 940991dae2d..e2964aad733 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_dbm_dumb.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_dbm_dumb.py
@@ -115,11 +115,13 @@ class DumbDBMTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.init_db()
         f = dumbdbm.open(_fname)
         f['\u00fc'] = b'!'
+        f['1'] = 'a'
         f.close()
         f = dumbdbm.open(_fname, 'r')
         self.assert_('\u00fc' in f)
         self.assertEqual(f['\u00fc'.encode('utf-8')],
                          self._dict['\u00fc'.encode('utf-8')])
+        self.assertEqual(f[b'1'], b'a')
 
     def test_line_endings(self):
         # test for bug #1172763: dumbdbm would die if the line endings
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_dbm_gnu.py b/Lib/test/test_dbm_gnu.py
index eddb9708310..0049aaac80c 100755
--- a/Lib/test/test_dbm_gnu.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_dbm_gnu.py
@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ class TestGdbm(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(self.g.keys(), [])
         self.g['a'] = 'b'
         self.g['12345678910'] = '019237410982340912840198242'
+        self.g[b'bytes'] = b'data'
         key_set = set(self.g.keys())
         self.assertEqual(key_set, set([b'a', b'12345678910']))
         self.assert_(b'a' in self.g)
+        self.assertEqual(self.g[b'bytes'], b'data')
         key = self.g.firstkey()
         while key:
             self.assert_(key in key_set)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_dbm_ndbm.py b/Lib/test/test_dbm_ndbm.py
index 74d32386aef..6d0a36de708 100755
--- a/Lib/test/test_dbm_ndbm.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_dbm_ndbm.py
@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ class DbmTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         self.d = dbm.ndbm.open(self.filename, 'c')
         self.assert_(self.d.keys() == [])
         self.d['a'] = 'b'
+        self.d[b'bytes'] = b'data'
         self.d['12345678910'] = '019237410982340912840198242'
         self.d.keys()
         self.assert_(b'a' in self.d)
+        self.assertEqual(self.d[b'bytes'], b'data')
         self.d.close()
 
     def test_modes(self):
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index afc39826866..bc127e70a1a 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ Library
 - Issue #4383: When IDLE cannot make the connection to its subprocess, it would
   fail to properly display the error message.
 
+Docs
+----
+
+- Issue #3799: Document that dbm.gnu and dbm.ndbm will accept string arguments
+  for keys and values which will be converted to bytes before committal.
+
 
 What's New in Python 3.0 release candidate 3?
 =============================================
diff --git a/Modules/_dbmmodule.c b/Modules/_dbmmodule.c
index d43acdc5e9e..1aef3d9bb94 100644
--- a/Modules/_dbmmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_dbmmodule.c
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ dbm_ass_sub(dbmobject *dp, PyObject *v, PyObject *w)
 	
         if ( !PyArg_Parse(v, "s#", &krec.dptr, &tmp_size) ) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
-				"dbm mappings have string keys only");
+				"dbm mappings have bytes or string keys only");
 		return -1;
 	}
 	krec.dsize = tmp_size;
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ dbm_ass_sub(dbmobject *dp, PyObject *v, PyObject *w)
 	} else {
 		if ( !PyArg_Parse(w, "s#", &drec.dptr, &tmp_size) ) {
 			PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
-			     "dbm mappings have byte string elements only");
+			     "dbm mappings have byte or string elements only");
 			return -1;
 		}
 		drec.dsize = tmp_size;
diff --git a/Modules/_gdbmmodule.c b/Modules/_gdbmmodule.c
index 590ef2114ab..c6817fe6651 100644
--- a/Modules/_gdbmmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_gdbmmodule.c
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ dbm_ass_sub(dbmobject *dp, PyObject *v, PyObject *w)
 
     if (!PyArg_Parse(v, "s#", &krec.dptr, &krec.dsize) ) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
-                        "gdbm mappings have string indices only");
+                        "gdbm mappings have bytes or string indices only");
         return -1;
     }
     if (dp->di_dbm == NULL) {
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ dbm_ass_sub(dbmobject *dp, PyObject *v, PyObject *w)
     else {
         if (!PyArg_Parse(w, "s#", &drec.dptr, &drec.dsize)) {
             PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
-                            "gdbm mappings have byte string elements only");
+                            "gdbm mappings have byte or string elements only");
             return -1;
         }
         errno = 0;