diff --git a/changes/4414.bugfix.md b/changes/4414.bugfix.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab15e31b61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/4414.bugfix.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+An array `config` with a key that is not a runtime configuration option (for example a misspelled `write_empty_chunk`) now raises a `TypeError` naming the unknown and valid keys. Previously `create_array`, `create`, `open_array` and other functions silently ignored such keys.
diff --git a/src/zarr/core/array_spec.py b/src/zarr/core/array_spec.py
index 1f4ffd6f09..61667275f9 100644
--- a/src/zarr/core/array_spec.py
+++ b/src/zarr/core/array_spec.py
@@ -92,8 +92,15 @@ def from_dict(cls, data: ArrayConfigParams) -> Self:
         """
         Create an ArrayConfig from a dict. The keys of that dict are a subset of the
         attributes of the ArrayConfig class. Any keys missing from that dict will be set to the
-        the values in the ``array`` namespace of ``zarr.config``.
+        the values in the ``array`` namespace of ``zarr.config``. Keys that are not
+        attributes of the ArrayConfig class raise a `TypeError`.
         """
+        unknown = set(data) - {f.name for f in fields(ArrayConfig)}
+        if unknown:
+            raise TypeError(
+                f"Unknown array config keys: {sorted(unknown)}. "
+                f"Valid keys are {[f.name for f in fields(ArrayConfig)]}."
+            )
         kwargs_out: ArrayConfigParams = {}
         for f in fields(ArrayConfig):
             field_name = cast(
diff --git a/tests/test_array_spec.py b/tests/test_array_spec.py
index 4fbc0b1205..ae94ec4d3d 100644
--- a/tests/test_array_spec.py
+++ b/tests/test_array_spec.py
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 import numpy as np
 import pytest
 
-from zarr.core.array_spec import ArrayConfig, ArraySpec
+import zarr
+from zarr.core.array_spec import ArrayConfig, ArrayConfigParams, ArraySpec
 from zarr.core.buffer import BufferPrototype, default_buffer_prototype
 from zarr.core.buffer.cpu import NDBuffer
 from zarr.core.dtype import get_data_type_from_native_dtype
@@ -177,3 +178,46 @@ def test_signed_zero_fills_are_distinct(native_dtype: Any, neg_fill: Any, pos_fi
 def test_unequal_with_invalid_type(obj: Any) -> None:
     assert (_make_spec() == obj) is False
     assert _make_spec() != obj
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "data",
+    [
+        {},
+        {"order": "F"},
+        {"write_empty_chunks": True, "read_missing_chunks": False},
+        {
+            "order": "F",
+            "write_empty_chunks": True,
+            "read_missing_chunks": False,
+            "sharding_coalesce_max_gap_bytes": 1,
+            "sharding_coalesce_max_bytes": 2,
+        },
+    ],
+)
+def test_array_config_from_dict(data: ArrayConfigParams) -> None:
+    """
+    ArrayConfig.from_dict takes the given keys from `data` and the rest from the global
+    configuration.
+    """
+    observed = ArrayConfig.from_dict(data).to_dict()
+    for key, value in observed.items():
+        assert value == data.get(key, zarr.config.get(f"array.{key}"))
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "build",
+    [
+        lambda config: ArrayConfig.from_dict(config),
+        lambda config: zarr.create_array({}, shape=(4,), dtype="uint8", config=config),
+        lambda config: zarr.create(shape=(4,), dtype="uint8", config=config),
+    ],
+    ids=["from_dict", "create_array", "create"],
+)
+def test_array_config_unknown_key(build: Callable[[Any], object]) -> None:
+    """
+    An array config with a key that is not an ArrayConfig attribute raises TypeError instead of
+    being ignored.
+    """
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match=r"Unknown array config keys: \['nope'\]"):
+        build({"order": "C", "nope": 1})