diff --git a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/bitarray.jl b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/bitarray.jl
index ea127ddfeebf4a..b51946bb840883 100644
--- a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/bitarray.jl
+++ b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/bitarray.jl
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 
 function dot(x::BitVector, y::BitVector)
     # simplest way to mimic Array dot behavior
-    length(x) == length(y) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    if size(x) != size(y)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(x)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(y)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
+    end
     s = 0
     xc = x.chunks
     yc = y.chunks
diff --git a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/blas.jl b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/blas.jl
index 0e711875110e7a..cfe31a2a467362 100644
--- a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/blas.jl
+++ b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/blas.jl
@@ -328,24 +328,24 @@ end
 function dot(DX::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}, DY::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}) where T<:BlasReal
     @assert !has_offset_axes(DX, DY)
     n = length(DX)
-    if n != length(DY)
-        throw(DimensionMismatch("dot product arguments have lengths $(length(DX)) and $(length(DY))"))
+    if size(DX) != size(DY)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(DX)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(DY)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
     end
     GC.@preserve DX DY dot(n, pointer(DX), stride(DX, 1), pointer(DY), stride(DY, 1))
 end
 function dotc(DX::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}, DY::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}) where T<:BlasComplex
     @assert !has_offset_axes(DX, DY)
     n = length(DX)
-    if n != length(DY)
-        throw(DimensionMismatch("dot product arguments have lengths $(length(DX)) and $(length(DY))"))
+    if size(DX) != size(DY)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(DX)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(DY)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
     end
     GC.@preserve DX DY dotc(n, pointer(DX), stride(DX, 1), pointer(DY), stride(DY, 1))
 end
 function dotu(DX::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}, DY::Union{DenseArray{T},AbstractVector{T}}) where T<:BlasComplex
     @assert !has_offset_axes(DX, DY)
     n = length(DX)
-    if n != length(DY)
-        throw(DimensionMismatch("dot product arguments have lengths $(length(DX)) and $(length(DY))"))
+    if size(DX) != size(DY)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(DX)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(DY)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
     end
     GC.@preserve DX DY dotu(n, pointer(DX), stride(DX, 1), pointer(DY), stride(DY, 1))
 end
diff --git a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/generic.jl b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/generic.jl
index ea23e8d51cee7a..758d5e756cfa21 100644
--- a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/generic.jl
+++ b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/src/generic.jl
@@ -683,9 +683,11 @@ dot(x::Number, y::Number) = conj(x) * y
     dot(x, y)
     x ⋅ y
 
-Compute the dot product between two vectors. For complex vectors, the first
-vector is conjugated. When the vectors have equal lengths, calling `dot` is
-semantically equivalent to `sum(dot(vx,vy) for (vx,vy) in zip(x, y))`.
+Compute the dot product between two arrays of the same size as if they were
+vectors. For complex arrays, the elements of the first array are conjugated.
+This is the classical dot product for vectors and the Hilbert-Schmidt dot
+product `tr(x' * y)` for matrices. When the arrays have equal sizes, calling
+`dot` is semantically equivalent to `sum(dot(vx,vy) for (vx,vy) in zip(x, y))`.
 
 # Examples
 ```jldoctest
@@ -697,11 +699,10 @@ julia> dot([im; im], [1; 1])
 ```
 """
 function dot(x::AbstractArray, y::AbstractArray)
-    lx = length(x)
-    if lx != length(y)
-        throw(DimensionMismatch("first array has length $(lx) which does not match the length of the second, $(length(y))."))
+    if size(x) != size(y)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(x)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(y)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
     end
-    if lx == 0
+    if length(x) == 0
         return dot(zero(eltype(x)), zero(eltype(y)))
     end
     s = zero(dot(first(x), first(y)))
diff --git a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/blas.jl b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/blas.jl
index b2a9b1ea67d456..f1700937d97e16 100644
--- a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/blas.jl
+++ b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/blas.jl
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ Random.seed!(100)
                 x2 = convert(Vector{elty}, randn(n))
                 @test BLAS.dot(x1,x2) ≈ sum(x1.*x2)
                 @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dot(x1,rand(elty, n + 1))
+                y1 = convert(Matrix{elty}, randn(4,4))
+                y2 = convert(Matrix{elty}, randn(2,8))
+                @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dot(y1, y2)
+                @test sum(y1[i] * y2[i] for i in 1:16) ≈ BLAS.dot(vec(y1), vec(y2))
             else
                 z1 = convert(Vector{elty}, complex.(randn(n),randn(n)))
                 z2 = convert(Vector{elty}, complex.(randn(n),randn(n)))
@@ -66,6 +70,12 @@ Random.seed!(100)
                 @test BLAS.dotu(z1,z2) ≈ sum(z1.*z2)
                 @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dotc(z1,rand(elty, n + 1))
                 @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dotu(z1,rand(elty, n + 1))
+                y1 = convert(Matrix{elty}, complex.(randn(4,4),randn(4,4)))
+                y2 = convert(Matrix{elty}, complex.(randn(2,8),randn(2,8)))
+                @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dotc(y1, y2)
+                @test_throws DimensionMismatch BLAS.dotu(y1, y2)
+                @test sum(conj(y1[i]) * y2[i] for i in 1:16) ≈ BLAS.dotc(vec(y1), vec(y2))
+                @test sum(y1[i] * y2[i] for i in 1:16) ≈ BLAS.dotu(vec(y1), vec(y2))
             end
         end
         @testset "iamax" begin
diff --git a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/matmul.jl b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/matmul.jl
index 7ac8924e634476..bc1b44cb71f984 100644
--- a/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/matmul.jl
+++ b/stdlib/LinearAlgebra/test/matmul.jl
@@ -230,6 +230,10 @@ end
     @test dot(X, Y) == convert(elty, 35.0)
     Z = convert(Vector{Matrix{elty}},[reshape(1:4, 2, 2), fill(1, 2, 2)])
     @test dot(Z, Z) == convert(elty, 34.0)
+    Y2 = convert(Matrix{elty},[1.5 3.5 2.5 4.5])
+    @test_throws DimensionMismatch dot(X, Y2)
+    @test_throws DimensionMismatch dot(vec(X), Y2)
+    @test dot(X, Y) == dot(vec(X), vec(Y2))
 end
 
 dot1(x,y) = invoke(dot, Tuple{Any,Any}, x,y)
@@ -251,6 +255,21 @@ dot2(x,y) = invoke(dot, Tuple{AbstractArray,AbstractArray}, x,y)
             end
         end
     end
+    for elty in (Float32, Float64, ComplexF32, ComplexF64)
+        XX = convert(Matrix{elty},[1.0 2.0; 3.0 4.0])
+        YY = convert(Matrix{elty},[1.5 2.5; 3.5 4.5])
+        YY2 = convert(Matrix{elty},[1.5 3.5 2.5 4.5])
+        for X in (copy(XX), view(XX, 1:2, 1:2)), Y in (copy(YY), view(YY, 1:2, 1:2)), Y2 in (copy(YY2), view(YY2, 1:1, 1:4))
+            @test dot1(X, Y) == convert(elty, 35.0)
+            @test dot2(X, Y) == convert(elty, 35.0)
+            @test dot1(X, Y2) == convert(elty, 35.0) # dot1 considers general iterators and cannot check sizes
+            @test_throws DimensionMismatch dot2(X, Y2)
+            @test dot1(vec(X), Y2) == convert(elty, 35.0) # dot1 considers general iterators and cannot check sizes
+            @test_throws DimensionMismatch dot2(vec(X), Y2)
+            @test dot1(X, Y) == dot1(vec(X), vec(Y2))
+            @test dot2(X, Y) == dot2(vec(X), vec(Y2))
+        end
+    end
 end
 
 @testset "Issue 11978" begin
diff --git a/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/linalg.jl b/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/linalg.jl
index 6e9a751dd4306f..3ce665fa601f72 100644
--- a/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/linalg.jl
+++ b/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/linalg.jl
@@ -206,7 +206,9 @@ end
 # Frobenius dot/inner product: trace(A'B)
 function dot(A::SparseMatrixCSC{T1,S1},B::SparseMatrixCSC{T2,S2}) where {T1,T2,S1,S2}
     m, n = size(A)
-    size(B) == (m,n) || throw(DimensionMismatch("matrices must have the same dimensions"))
+    if size(B) != (m,n)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(A)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(B)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
+    end
     r = dot(zero(T1), zero(T2))
     @inbounds for j = 1:n
         ia = A.colptr[j]; ia_nxt = A.colptr[j+1]
diff --git a/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/sparsevector.jl b/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/sparsevector.jl
index e7f0e1a2db26a3..44693df3f92d7e 100644
--- a/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/sparsevector.jl
+++ b/stdlib/SparseArrays/src/sparsevector.jl
@@ -1398,7 +1398,9 @@ end
 function dot(x::AbstractVector{Tx}, y::SparseVectorUnion{Ty}) where {Tx<:Number,Ty<:Number}
     @assert !has_offset_axes(x, y)
     n = length(x)
-    length(y) == n || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    if size(x) != size(y)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(x)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(y)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
+    end
     nzind = nonzeroinds(y)
     nzval = nonzeros(y)
     s = dot(zero(Tx), zero(Ty))
@@ -1411,7 +1413,9 @@ end
 function dot(x::SparseVectorUnion{Tx}, y::AbstractVector{Ty}) where {Tx<:Number,Ty<:Number}
     @assert !has_offset_axes(x, y)
     n = length(y)
-    length(x) == n || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    if size(x) != size(y)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(x)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(y)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
+    end
     nzind = nonzeroinds(x)
     nzval = nonzeros(x)
     s = dot(zero(Tx), zero(Ty))
@@ -1445,7 +1449,9 @@ end
 function dot(x::SparseVectorUnion{<:Number}, y::SparseVectorUnion{<:Number})
     x === y && return sum(abs2, x)
     n = length(x)
-    length(y) == n || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    if size(x) != size(y)
+        throw(DimensionMismatch("The first array has size $(size(x)) which does not match the size of the second, $(size(y)). You might want to use `dot(vec(x), vec(y))` if `length(x) == length(y)`."))
+    end
 
     xnzind = nonzeroinds(x)
     ynzind = nonzeroinds(y)