diff --git a/mypy/message_registry.py b/mypy/message_registry.py
index 2e40048cbb58..bd038e254450 100644
--- a/mypy/message_registry.py
+++ b/mypy/message_registry.py
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ def with_additional_msg(self, info: str) -> ErrorMessage:
 KEYWORD_ARGUMENT_REQUIRES_STR_KEY_TYPE: Final = ErrorMessage(
     'Keyword argument only valid with "str" key type in call to "dict"'
 )
+TYPE_FORM_STRING_ARGUMENT_HINT: Final = (
+    "If this string was intended as a type expression, wrap it in TypeForm(...) "
+    "to get a more specific error."
+)
 ALL_MUST_BE_SEQ_STR: Final = ErrorMessage("Type of __all__ must be {}, not {}")
 INVALID_TYPEDDICT_ARGS: Final = ErrorMessage(
     "Expected keyword arguments, {...}, or dict(...) in TypedDict constructor"
diff --git a/mypy/messages.py b/mypy/messages.py
index b58c9e7ac4b6..c10e1d9e52af 100644
--- a/mypy/messages.py
+++ b/mypy/messages.py
@@ -796,6 +796,13 @@ def incompatible_argument(
                         quote_type_string(expected_type_str),
                     )
                 expected_type = get_proper_type(expected_type)
+                if (
+                    isinstance(context, StrExpr)
+                    and context.as_type is None
+                    and isinstance(expected_type, TypeType)
+                    and expected_type.is_type_form
+                ):
+                    msg += f". {message_registry.TYPE_FORM_STRING_ARGUMENT_HINT}"
                 if isinstance(expected_type, UnionType):
                     expected_types = get_proper_types(expected_type.items)
                 else:
diff --git a/test-data/unit/check-fastparse.test b/test-data/unit/check-fastparse.test
index eaa3cd9a14fc..cddaf37fd5a2 100644
--- a/test-data/unit/check-fastparse.test
+++ b/test-data/unit/check-fastparse.test
@@ -342,6 +342,6 @@ def identity(typx: TypeForm) -> TypeForm:
     return typx
 
 # This should not generate SyntaxWarning despite invalid escape sequence
-identity(r"re\.match")  # E: Argument 1 to "identity" has incompatible type "str"; expected "TypeForm[Any]"
+identity(r"re\.match")  # E: Argument 1 to "identity" has incompatible type "str"; expected "TypeForm[Any]". If this string was intended as a type expression, wrap it in TypeForm(...) to get a more specific error.
 [builtins fixtures/tuple.pyi]
 [typing fixtures/typing-full.pyi]
diff --git a/test-data/unit/check-typeform.test b/test-data/unit/check-typeform.test
index d08826e233f7..553b83350c3c 100644
--- a/test-data/unit/check-typeform.test
+++ b/test-data/unit/check-typeform.test
@@ -157,6 +157,15 @@ is_type('int | None')
 [builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
 [typing fixtures/typing-full.pyi]
 
+[case testUnresolvableStringTypeFormArgument]
+from typing_extensions import TypeForm, TypeVar
+T = TypeVar('T')
+def foo(x: TypeForm[T]) -> None:
+    pass
+foo('Unresolvable')  # E: Argument 1 to "foo" has incompatible type "str"; expected "TypeForm[Never]". If this string was intended as a type expression, wrap it in TypeForm(...) to get a more specific error.
+[builtins fixtures/primitives.pyi]
+[typing fixtures/typing-full.pyi]
+
 
 -- Type Expression Location: Return Statement