diff --git a/src/wp-includes/wp-db.php b/src/wp-includes/wp-db.php
index cdea417c97..215494fe6e 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/wp-db.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/wp-db.php
@@ -1053,6 +1053,10 @@ class wpdb {
 		if ( is_null( $query ) )
 			return;
 
+		if ( strpos( $query, '%' ) === false ) {
+			_doing_it_wrong( 'wpdb::prepare', sprintf( __( 'The query argument of %s must have a placeholder.' ), 'wpdb::prepare()' ), '3.9' );
+		}
+
 		$args = func_get_args();
 		array_shift( $args );
 		// If args were passed as an array (as in vsprintf), move them up
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/db.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/db.php
index d6430e707d..db4d6a25dc 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/db.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/db.php
@@ -193,4 +193,16 @@ class Tests_DB extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 		unset( $modes[ $pos ] );
 		return $modes;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @ticket 25604
+	 * @expectedIncorrectUsage wpdb::prepare
+	 */
+	function test_prepare_without_arguments() {
+		global $wpdb;
+		$id = 0;
+		// This, obviously, is an incorrect prepare.
+		$prepared = $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM $wpdb->users WHERE id = $id", $id );
+		$this->assertEquals( "SELECT * FROM $wpdb->users WHERE id = 0", $prepared );
+	}
 }