diff --git a/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs b/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
index aef8b58fa8bfa..a97fc666e25a6 100644
--- a/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
@@ -898,6 +898,7 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx> BorrowckCtxt<'a, 'tcx> {
                                 }
                             }
                         }
+
                         db
                     }
                     BorrowViolation(euv::ClosureCapture(_)) => {
@@ -918,6 +919,28 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx> BorrowckCtxt<'a, 'tcx> {
                     }
                 };
 
+                // We add a special note about `IndexMut`, if the source of this error
+                // is the fact that `Index` is implemented, but `IndexMut` is not. Needing
+                // to implement two traits for "one operator" is not very intuitive for
+                // many programmers.
+                if err.cmt.note == mc::NoteIndex {
+                    let node_id = self.tcx.hir.hir_to_node_id(err.cmt.hir_id);
+                    let node =  self.tcx.hir.get(node_id);
+
+                    // This pattern probably always matches.
+                    if let hir_map::NodeExpr(
+                        hir::Expr { node: hir::ExprKind::Index(lhs, _), ..}
+                    ) = node {
+                        let ty = self.tables.expr_ty(lhs);
+
+                        db.help(&format!(
+                            "trait `IndexMut` is required to modify indexed content, but \
+                             it is not implemented for `{}`",
+                            ty
+                        ));
+                    }
+                }
+
                 self.note_and_explain_mutbl_error(&mut db, &err, &error_span);
                 self.note_immutability_blame(
                     &mut db,
diff --git a/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.nll.stderr b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.nll.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..cc058f1fde5da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.nll.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+error[E0596]: cannot borrow data in a `&` reference as mutable
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:21:5
+   |
+LL |     map["peter"].clear();           //~ ERROR
+   |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+
+error[E0594]: cannot assign to data in a `&` reference
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:22:5
+   |
+LL |     map["peter"] = "0".to_string(); //~ ERROR
+   |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot assign
+
+error[E0596]: cannot borrow data in a `&` reference as mutable
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:23:13
+   |
+LL |     let _ = &mut map["peter"];      //~ ERROR
+   |             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+
+error: aborting due to 3 previous errors
+
+Some errors occurred: E0594, E0596.
+For more information about an error, try `rustc --explain E0594`.
diff --git a/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.rs b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a4df0ced2f292
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright 2018 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// When mutably indexing a type that implements `Index` but not `IndexMut`, a
+// special 'help' message is added to the output.
+
+
+fn main() {
+    use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+    let mut map = HashMap::new();
+    map.insert("peter", "23".to_string());
+
+    map["peter"].clear();           //~ ERROR
+    map["peter"] = "0".to_string(); //~ ERROR
+    let _ = &mut map["peter"];      //~ ERROR
+}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.stderr b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.stderr
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..b8b35ed3ed30a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/ui/borrowck/index-mut-help.stderr
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+error[E0596]: cannot borrow immutable indexed content as mutable
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:21:5
+   |
+LL |     map["peter"].clear();           //~ ERROR
+   |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+   |
+   = help: trait `IndexMut` is required to modify indexed content, but it is not implemented for `std::collections::HashMap<&str, std::string::String>`
+
+error[E0594]: cannot assign to immutable indexed content
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:22:5
+   |
+LL |     map["peter"] = "0".to_string(); //~ ERROR
+   |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+   |
+   = help: trait `IndexMut` is required to modify indexed content, but it is not implemented for `std::collections::HashMap<&str, std::string::String>`
+
+error[E0596]: cannot borrow immutable indexed content as mutable
+  --> $DIR/index-mut-help.rs:23:18
+   |
+LL |     let _ = &mut map["peter"];      //~ ERROR
+   |                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+   |
+   = help: trait `IndexMut` is required to modify indexed content, but it is not implemented for `std::collections::HashMap<&str, std::string::String>`
+
+error: aborting due to 3 previous errors
+
+Some errors occurred: E0594, E0596.
+For more information about an error, try `rustc --explain E0594`.
diff --git a/src/test/ui/issue-41726.stderr b/src/test/ui/issue-41726.stderr
index 172309537bf04..c79196e014042 100644
--- a/src/test/ui/issue-41726.stderr
+++ b/src/test/ui/issue-41726.stderr
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ error[E0596]: cannot borrow immutable indexed content as mutable
    |
 LL |         things[src.as_str()].sort(); //~ ERROR cannot borrow immutable
    |         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ cannot borrow as mutable
+   |
+   = help: trait `IndexMut` is required to modify indexed content, but it is not implemented for `std::collections::HashMap<std::string::String, std::vec::Vec<std::string::String>>`
 
 error: aborting due to previous error