diff --git a/cmd/sops/main.go b/cmd/sops/main.go
index 0563a2daa..a297d9609 100644
--- a/cmd/sops/main.go
+++ b/cmd/sops/main.go
@@ -44,7 +44,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3/version"
 )
 
-var log *logrus.Logger
+var (
+	log *logrus.Logger
+
+	// Whether the config file warning was already shown to the user.
+	// Used and set by findConfigFile().
+	showedConfigFileWarning bool
+)
 
 func init() {
 	log = logging.NewLogger("CMD")
@@ -364,7 +370,7 @@ func main() {
 				if c.GlobalString("config") != "" {
 					configPath = c.GlobalString("config")
 				} else {
-					configPath, err = config.FindConfigFile(".")
+					configPath, err = findConfigFile()
 					if err != nil {
 						return common.NewExitError(err, codes.ErrorGeneric)
 					}
@@ -685,7 +691,7 @@ func main() {
 				if c.GlobalString("config") != "" {
 					configPath = c.GlobalString("config")
 				} else {
-					configPath, err = config.FindConfigFile(".")
+					configPath, err = findConfigFile()
 					if err != nil {
 						return common.NewExitError(err, codes.ErrorGeneric)
 					}
@@ -2183,11 +2189,21 @@ func keyservices(c *cli.Context) (svcs []keyservice.KeyServiceClient) {
 	return
 }
 
+// Wrapper of config.FindConfigFileEx that takes care of handling the returned wraning.
+func findConfigFile() (string, error) {
+	configPath, err, warn := config.FindConfigFileEx(".")
+	if len(warn) > 0 && !showedConfigFileWarning {
+		showedConfigFileWarning = true
+		log.Warn(warn)
+	}
+	return configPath, err
+}
+
 func loadStoresConfig(context *cli.Context, path string) (*config.StoresConfig, error) {
 	configPath := context.GlobalString("config")
 	if configPath == "" {
-		// Ignore config not found errors returned from FindConfigFile since the config file is not mandatory
-		foundPath, err := config.FindConfigFile(".")
+		// Ignore config not found errors returned from findConfigFile since the config file is not mandatory
+		foundPath, err := findConfigFile()
 		if err != nil {
 			return config.NewStoresConfig(), nil
 		}
@@ -2322,14 +2338,14 @@ func keyGroups(c *cli.Context, file string) ([]sops.KeyGroup, error) {
 	return []sops.KeyGroup{group}, nil
 }
 
-// loadConfig will look for an existing config file, either provided through the command line, or using config.FindConfigFile.
+// loadConfig will look for an existing config file, either provided through the command line, or using findConfigFile
 // Since a config file is not required, this function does not error when one is not found, and instead returns a nil config pointer
 func loadConfig(c *cli.Context, file string, kmsEncryptionContext map[string]*string) (*config.Config, error) {
 	var err error
 	configPath := c.GlobalString("config")
 	if configPath == "" {
-		// Ignore config not found errors returned from FindConfigFile since the config file is not mandatory
-		configPath, err = config.FindConfigFile(".")
+		// Ignore config not found errors returned from findConfigFile since the config file is not mandatory
+		configPath, err = findConfigFile()
 		if err != nil {
 			// If we can't find a config file, but we were not explicitly requested to, assume it does not exist
 			return nil, nil
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 8d3dc4dd1..e6d36bb6e 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -37,22 +37,48 @@ func (fs osFS) Stat(name string) (os.FileInfo, error) {
 var fs fileSystem = osFS{stat: os.Stat}
 
 const (
-	maxDepth       = 100
-	configFileName = ".sops.yaml"
+	maxDepth                 = 100
+	configFileName           = ".sops.yaml"
+	misspelledConfigFilename = ".sops.yml"
 )
 
+// FindConfigFileEx looks for a sops config file in the current working directory and on parent directories, up to the limit defined by the maxDepth constant.
+// The third return value is a warning in case misspelled config files were found.
+func FindConfigFileEx(start string) (string, error, string) {
+	filepath := path.Dir(start)
+	var foundMisspelledPath string
+	var warning string
+	for i := 0; i < maxDepth; i++ {
+		configPath := path.Join(filepath, configFileName)
+		_, err := fs.Stat(configPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			misspelledPath := path.Join(filepath, misspelledConfigFilename)
+			_, err = fs.Stat(misspelledPath)
+			if err == nil && len(foundMisspelledPath) == 0 {
+				foundMisspelledPath = misspelledPath
+			}
+			filepath = path.Join(filepath, "..")
+		} else {
+			if len(foundMisspelledPath) > 0 {
+				warning = fmt.Sprintf(
+					"Ignoring %q when searching for config file. The config file must be called %q."+
+						" Found and using %q further up the directory tree instead.",
+					foundMisspelledPath, configFileName, configPath)
+			}
+			return configPath, nil, warning
+		}
+	}
+	err := fmt.Errorf("Config file not found")
+	if len(foundMisspelledPath) > 0 {
+		warning = fmt.Sprintf("Ignoring %q when searching for config file. The config file must be called %q.", foundMisspelledPath, configFileName)
+	}
+	return "", err, warning
+}
+
 // FindConfigFile looks for a sops config file in the current working directory and on parent directories, up to the limit defined by the maxDepth constant.
 func FindConfigFile(start string) (string, error) {
-	filepath := path.Dir(start)
-	for i := 0; i < maxDepth; i++ {
-		_, err := fs.Stat(path.Join(filepath, configFileName))
-		if err != nil {
-			filepath = path.Join(filepath, "..")
-		} else {
-			return path.Join(filepath, configFileName), nil
-		}
-	}
-	return "", fmt.Errorf("Config file not found")
+	config, err, _ := FindConfigFileEx(start)
+	return config, err
 }
 
 type DotenvStoreConfig struct{}