diff --git a/core/parser/parser-docs.factor b/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
index 84f8b6dee4..852f2a6a03 100644
--- a/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
+++ b/core/parser/parser-docs.factor
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ ARTICLE: "reading-ahead" "Reading ahead"
     (scan-token)
     (scan-datum)
 }
-"It is defined in terms of a lower-level word that takes the numerical base on the data stack, but reads the number from the parser and then adds it to the parse tree:"
-{ $see parse-base }
 "A simple example is the " { $link POSTPONE: \ } " word:"
 { $see POSTPONE: \ } ;
 
@@ -223,11 +221,6 @@ HELP: parse-lines
 { $description "Parses Factor source code which has been tokenized into lines. The vocabulary search path is taken from the current scope." }
 { $errors "Throws a " { $link lexer-error } " if the input is malformed." } ;
 
-HELP: parse-base
-{ $values { "parsed" integer } { "base" "an integer between 2 and 36" } }
-{ $description "Reads an integer in a specific numerical base from the parser input." }
-$parsing-note ;
-
 HELP: parse-literal
 { $values { "accum" vector } { "end" word } { "quot" { $quotation "( seq -- obj )" } } }
 { $description "Parses objects from parser input until " { $snippet "end" } ", applies the quotation to the resulting sequence, and adds the output value to the accumulator." }
diff --git a/core/parser/parser.factor b/core/parser/parser.factor
index a0f92b5379..0bbb8d4424 100644
--- a/core/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/parser/parser.factor
@@ -141,9 +141,6 @@ ERROR: bad-number ;
 : scan-base ( base -- n )
     scan-token swap base> [ bad-number ] unless* ;
 
-: parse-base ( parsed base -- parsed )
-    scan-base suffix! ;
-
 SYMBOL: bootstrap-syntax
 
 : with-file-vocabs ( quot -- )