diff --git a/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.test.ts b/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.test.ts
index b8bca154ad5..c169a4fc9fb 100644
--- a/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   getDocumentTypeConfiguration,
   getOrder,
   getQueryString,
+  isExactMatchToken,
   isNegationToken,
   isPrefixToken,
   prefixLast,
@@ -268,7 +269,7 @@ describe('prefixLast', () => {
     expect(prefixLast('a b')).toBe('a b*')
     expect(prefixLast('a -b')).toBe('a* -b')
     expect(prefixLast('a "bc" d')).toBe('a "bc" d*')
-    expect(prefixLast('ab "cd"')).toBe('ab "cd"*')
+    expect(prefixLast('ab "cd"')).toBe('ab* "cd"')
     expect(prefixLast('a --')).toBe('a* --')
   })
 
@@ -288,7 +289,19 @@ describe('prefixLast', () => {
 
   it('preserves quoted tokens', () => {
     expect(prefixLast('"a b" c d')).toBe('"a b" c d*')
-    expect(prefixLast('"a   b"   c d  "ef" "g  "')).toBe('"a   b" c d "ef" "g  "*')
+    expect(prefixLast('"a   b"   c d  "ef" "g  "')).toBe('"a   b" c d* "ef" "g  "')
     expect(prefixLast('"a " b" c d')).toBe('"a " b c d*')
   })
 })
+
+describe('isExactMatchToken', () => {
+  it('recognises that a token is encased in quote marks', () => {
+    expect(isExactMatchToken(undefined)).toBe(false)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('"a"')).toBe(true)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('"a b"')).toBe(true)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('"a')).toBe(false)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('a"')).toBe(false)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('"a b')).toBe(false)
+    expect(isExactMatchToken('a b"')).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.ts b/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.ts
index a005d7eefb3..a6f7d6ab166 100644
--- a/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.ts
+++ b/packages/sanity/src/core/search/text-search/createTextSearch.ts
@@ -94,21 +94,29 @@ export function isPrefixToken(token: string | undefined): boolean {
   return typeof token !== 'undefined' && token.trim().at(-1) === WILDCARD_TOKEN
 }
 
+export function isExactMatchToken(token: string | undefined): boolean {
+  return [token?.at(0), token?.at(-1)].every((character) => character === '"')
+}
+
 export function prefixLast(query: string): string {
   const tokens = (query.match(TOKEN_REGEX) ?? []).map((token) => token.trim())
-  const finalNonNegationTokenIndex = tokens.findLastIndex((token) => !isNegationToken(token))
-  const finalNonNegationToken = tokens[finalNonNegationTokenIndex]
+
+  const finalIncrementalTokenIndex = tokens.findLastIndex(
+    (token) => !isNegationToken(token) && !isExactMatchToken(token),
+  )
+
+  const finalIncrementalToken = tokens[finalIncrementalTokenIndex]
 
   if (tokens.length === 0) {
     return WILDCARD_TOKEN
   }
 
-  if (isPrefixToken(finalNonNegationToken) || typeof finalNonNegationToken === 'undefined') {
+  if (isPrefixToken(finalIncrementalToken) || typeof finalIncrementalToken === 'undefined') {
     return tokens.join(' ')
   }
 
   const prefixedTokens = [...tokens]
-  prefixedTokens.splice(finalNonNegationTokenIndex, 1, `${finalNonNegationToken}${WILDCARD_TOKEN}`)
+  prefixedTokens.splice(finalIncrementalTokenIndex, 1, `${finalIncrementalToken}${WILDCARD_TOKEN}`)
   return prefixedTokens.join(' ')
 }