diff --git a/web/book/src/reference/stdlib/date.md b/web/book/src/reference/stdlib/date.md
index eba967f39a32..e5d145ad2190 100644
--- a/web/book/src/reference/stdlib/date.md
+++ b/web/book/src/reference/stdlib/date.md
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ Here is the list of the specifiers currently supported:
 |       |                               |                                                                  |
 |       |                               | **TIME SPECIFIERS:**                                             |
 | `%H`  | `00`                          | Hour number (00-23)                                              |
-| `%k`  | ` 0`                          | Same as `%H` but space-padded. Same as `%_H`.                    |
+| `%-H` | `0`                           | Hour number (0-23)                                               |
 | `%I`  | `12`                          | Hour number in 12-hour clocks (01--12), zero-padded to 2 digits. |
 | `%p`  | `AM`                          | `AM` or `PM` in 12-hour clocks.                                  |
 | `%M`  | `34`                          | Minute number (00-59), zero-padded to 2 digits.                  |
@@ -120,4 +120,7 @@ Here is the list of the specifiers currently supported:
 | `%n`  |                               | Literal newline (`\n`).                                          |
 | `%%`  |                               | Literal percent sign.                                            |
 
+Space-padded specifiers — chrono's `%_`-prefixed forms and their `%k` / `%l`
+aliases — are not supported by any dialect.
+
 [^1]: This is different from chrono, for which `%f` represents nanoseconds
diff --git a/web/book/tests/documentation/book.rs b/web/book/tests/documentation/book.rs
index b307599004b0..36a49a04c531 100644
--- a/web/book/tests/documentation/book.rs
+++ b/web/book/tests/documentation/book.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use itertools::Itertools;
 use mdbook_prql::{code_block_lang_tags, LangTag};
 use prqlc::{pl_to_prql, pl_to_rq, prql_to_pl};
 use pulldown_cmark::Tag;
+use regex::Regex;
 use walkdir::WalkDir;
 
 use super::compile;
@@ -164,6 +165,53 @@ Remove `no-fmt` as a language label to assert successfully compiling the formatt
     }
 }
 
+/// The date & time format specifier table in `reference/stdlib/date.md` is
+/// introduced as "the list of the specifiers currently supported", so assert
+/// that each row does compile — otherwise the table silently drifts from the
+/// dialect implementations in `sql/dialect.rs`.
+///
+/// We check against Postgres, matching the other examples on that page; which
+/// specifiers are supported varies by dialect.
+#[test]
+fn test_date_format_specifiers_compile() -> Result<()> {
+    let text = fs::read_to_string("./src/reference/stdlib/date.md")?;
+    // The first cell of each row of the specifier table, e.g. ``| `%Y` |``.
+    let specifier_cell = Regex::new(r"(?m)^\| `(%[^`]+)` *\|")?;
+
+    let specifiers: Vec<&str> = specifier_cell
+        .captures_iter(&text)
+        .map(|c| c.get(1).unwrap().as_str())
+        .collect();
+    // Guard against the test passing vacuously if the table's formatting
+    // changes and the regex stops matching.
+    if specifiers.len() < 20 {
+        bail!(
+            "Expected to find the date specifier table; only matched {} rows",
+            specifiers.len()
+        );
+    }
+
+    let mut errs = Vec::new();
+    for specifier in specifiers {
+        let prql = format!(
+            r#"prql target:sql.postgres
+from tbl
+select {{ a = (tbl.col | date.to_text "{specifier}") }}
+"#
+        );
+        if let Err(e) = compile(&prql) {
+            errs.push(format!(
+                "`{specifier}` is documented as supported, but fails to compile:\n{e}"
+            ));
+        }
+    }
+    if errs.is_empty() {
+        Ok(())
+    } else {
+        Err(anyhow!(errs.join("\n")))
+    }
+}
+
 struct Example {
     /// Name contains the file, the heading, and the index of the example.
     name: String,