diff --git a/.changeset/slow-planets-design.md b/.changeset/slow-planets-design.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..72cc2f0e259
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/slow-planets-design.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@apollo/client": patch
+---
+
+useQuery: `variables/options` should be required if `TVariables` is not empty/purely optional/default
diff --git a/src/react/components/Query.tsx b/src/react/components/Query.tsx
index 428207784c7..40c69605c79 100644
--- a/src/react/components/Query.tsx
+++ b/src/react/components/Query.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export function Query<
   props: QueryComponentOptions<TData, TVariables>
 ): ReactTypes.JSX.Element | null {
   const { children, query, ...options } = props;
-  const result = useQuery(query, options);
+  const result = useQuery<unknown, OperationVariables>(query, options);
   return result ? children(result as any) : null;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/react/hooks/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx b/src/react/hooks/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
index 938781a9890..fce91f28a56 100644
--- a/src/react/hooks/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
+++ b/src/react/hooks/__tests__/useQuery.test.tsx
@@ -8565,4 +8565,116 @@ describe.skip("Type Tests", () => {
     // @ts-expect-error
     variables?.nonExistingVariable;
   });
+
+  describe("optional/required options/variables scenarios", () => {
+    test("untyped document node, variables are optional and can be anything", () => {
+      const query = {} as DocumentNode;
+      useQuery(query);
+      useQuery(query, {});
+      useQuery(query, { variables: {} });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { opt: "opt" } });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { req: "req" } });
+    });
+    test("typed document node with unspecified TVariables, variables are optional and can be anything", () => {
+      const query = {} as TypedDocumentNode<{ result: string }>;
+      useQuery(query);
+      useQuery(query, {});
+      useQuery(query, { variables: {} });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { opt: "opt" } });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { req: "req" } });
+    });
+    test("empty variables are optional", () => {
+      const query = {} as TypedDocumentNode<
+        { result: string },
+        Record<string, never>
+      >;
+      useQuery(query);
+      useQuery(query, {});
+      useQuery(query, { variables: {} });
+      useQuery(query, {
+        variables: {
+          // @ts-expect-error on unknown variable
+          foo: "bar",
+        },
+      });
+    });
+    test("all-optional variables are optional", () => {
+      const query = {} as TypedDocumentNode<
+        { result: string },
+        { opt?: string }
+      >;
+      useQuery(query);
+      useQuery(query, {});
+      useQuery(query, { variables: {} });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { opt: "opt" } });
+      useQuery(query, {
+        variables: {
+          // @ts-expect-error on unknown variable
+          foo: "bar",
+        },
+      });
+      useQuery(query, {
+        variables: {
+          opt: "opt",
+          // @ts-expect-error on unknown variable
+          foo: "bar",
+        },
+      });
+    });
+    test("non-optional variables are required", () => {
+      const query = {} as TypedDocumentNode<
+        { result: string },
+        { req: string }
+      >;
+      // @ts-expect-error on missing options
+      useQuery(query);
+      useQuery(
+        query,
+        // @ts-expect-error on missing variables
+        {}
+      );
+      useQuery(query, {
+        // @ts-expect-error on empty variables
+        variables: {},
+      });
+      useQuery(query, {
+        variables: {
+          // @ts-expect-error on unknown variable
+          foo: "bar",
+        },
+      });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { req: "req" } });
+      useQuery(query, {
+        variables: {
+          req: "req",
+          // @ts-expect-error on unknown variable
+          foo: "bar",
+        },
+      });
+    });
+    test("mixed variables are required", () => {
+      const query = {} as TypedDocumentNode<
+        { result: string },
+        { req: string; opt?: string }
+      >;
+      // @ts-expect-error on missing options
+      useQuery(query);
+      // @ts-expect-error on missing variables
+      useQuery(query, {});
+
+      useQuery(query, {
+        // @ts-expect-error on empty variables
+        variables: {},
+      });
+
+      useQuery(query, {
+        // @ts-expect-error on missing required variable
+        variables: {
+          opt: "opt",
+        },
+      });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { req: "req" } });
+      useQuery(query, { variables: { req: "req", opt: "opt" } });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/react/hooks/useQuery.ts b/src/react/hooks/useQuery.ts
index b83f8558888..57fc4357856 100644
--- a/src/react/hooks/useQuery.ts
+++ b/src/react/hooks/useQuery.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,37 @@ const {
   prototype: { hasOwnProperty },
 } = Object;
 
+interface QueryHookOptionsWithVariables<
+  TData,
+  TVariables extends OperationVariables,
+> extends Omit<QueryHookOptions<TData, TVariables>, "variables"> {
+  variables: TVariables;
+}
+
+type OnlyRequiredProperties<T> = {
+  [K in keyof T as {} extends Pick<T, K> ? never : K]-?: T[K];
+};
+
+type HasRequiredVariables<T, TrueCase, FalseCase> =
+  {} extends OnlyRequiredProperties<T> ? FalseCase : TrueCase;
+
+export function useQuery<
+  TData = any,
+  TVariables extends OperationVariables = OperationVariables,
+>(
+  query: DocumentNode | TypedDocumentNode<TData, TVariables>,
+  ...[options]: HasRequiredVariables<
+    TVariables,
+    [
+      optionsWithVariables: QueryHookOptionsWithVariables<
+        NoInfer<TData>,
+        NoInfer<TVariables>
+      >,
+    ],
+    [options?: QueryHookOptions<NoInfer<TData>, NoInfer<TVariables>>]
+  >
+): QueryResult<TData, TVariables>;
+
 export function useQuery<
   TData = any,
   TVariables extends OperationVariables = OperationVariables,