diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index e08ad2d69..a70ed7323 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # dbplyr (development version)
 
+* Corrected translation of `stringr::str_like()` to use case-sensitive 
+  `LIKE` when argument `ignore_case` is set as `FALSE` (@edward-burn, #1488).
+
 * `clock::add_years()` translates to correct SQL on Spark (@ablack3, #1510).
 
 * Translations for `as.double()` and `as.character()` with Teradata previously
diff --git a/R/backend-.R b/R/backend-.R
index 3557e252d..3ce0b50a4 100644
--- a/R/backend-.R
+++ b/R/backend-.R
@@ -280,11 +280,16 @@ base_scalar <- sql_translator(
   str_trim = sql_str_trim,
   str_c = sql_paste(""),
   str_sub = sql_str_sub("SUBSTR"),
-  str_like = function(string, pattern, ignore_case = TRUE) {
+  # https://docs.getdbt.com/sql-reference/like is typically case sensitive (#1490)
+  str_like = function(string, pattern, ignore_case = FALSE) {
     if (isTRUE(ignore_case)) {
-      sql_expr(!!string %LIKE% !!pattern)
+      cli_abort(c(
+        "Backend does not support case insensitive {.fn str_like}.",
+        i = "Set {.code ignore_case = FALSE} for case sensitive match.",
+        i = "Use {.fn tolower} on both arguments to achieve a case insensitive match."
+      ))
     } else {
-      cli::cli_abort("Backend only supports case insensitve {.fn str_like}.")
+      sql_expr(!!string %LIKE% !!pattern)
     }
   },
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/_snaps/backend-.md b/tests/testthat/_snaps/backend-.md
index aab4ac1e7..3760aa7ae 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/_snaps/backend-.md
+++ b/tests/testthat/_snaps/backend-.md
@@ -47,13 +47,15 @@
       Error in `x$id`:
       ! $ operator is invalid for atomic vectors
 
-# can translate case insensitive like
+# can only translate case sensitive str_like
 
     Code
-      test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "abc", ignore_case = FALSE))
+      test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "abc", ignore_case = TRUE))
     Condition
       Error in `str_like()`:
-      ! Backend only supports case insensitve `str_like()`.
+      ! Backend does not support case insensitive `str_like()`.
+      i Set `ignore_case = FALSE` for case sensitive match.
+      i Use `tolower()` on both arguments to achieve a case insensitive match.
 
 # default raw escapes translated correctly
 
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-backend-.R b/tests/testthat/test-backend-.R
index 6b284a44e..5f9b3324f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-backend-.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-backend-.R
@@ -101,11 +101,18 @@ test_that("lead and lag translate n to integers", {
 
 # strings -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
-test_that("can translate case insensitive like", {
+test_that("can only translate case sensitive str_like", {
   local_con(simulate_dbi())
-  test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "abc"))
-  expect_snapshot(
+  expect_equal(
     test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "abc", ignore_case = FALSE)),
+    sql("`x` LIKE 'abc'")
+  )
+  expect_equal(
+    test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "ABC", ignore_case = FALSE)),
+    sql("`x` LIKE 'ABC'")
+  )
+  expect_snapshot(
+    test_translate_sql(str_like(x, "abc", ignore_case = TRUE)),
     error = TRUE
   )
 })