diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/dialect/function/array/ArrayContainsArgumentTypeResolver.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/dialect/function/array/ArrayContainsArgumentTypeResolver.java
index af076cb3aa..f52ce438e3 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/dialect/function/array/ArrayContainsArgumentTypeResolver.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/dialect/function/array/ArrayContainsArgumentTypeResolver.java
@@ -47,10 +47,15 @@ public class ArrayContainsArgumentTypeResolver implements FunctionArgumentTypeRe
 			}
 		}
 		else if ( argumentIndex == 1 ) {
+			final SqmTypedNode<?> nodeToResolve = function.getArguments().get( 1 );
+			if ( nodeToResolve.getExpressible() instanceof MappingModelExpressible<?> ) {
+				// If the node already has suitable type, don't infer it to be treated as an array
+				return null;
+			}
 			final SqmTypedNode<?> node = function.getArguments().get( 0 );
 			if ( node instanceof SqmExpression<?> ) {
 				final MappingModelExpressible<?> expressible = converter.determineValueMapping( (SqmExpression<?>) node );
-				if ( expressible != null ) {
+				if ( expressible instanceof BasicPluralType<?, ?> ) {
 					return expressible;
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/hql/internal/SemanticQueryBuilder.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/hql/internal/SemanticQueryBuilder.java
index f52904113f..17b152e564 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/hql/internal/SemanticQueryBuilder.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/hql/internal/SemanticQueryBuilder.java
@@ -2886,11 +2886,14 @@ public class SemanticQueryBuilder<R> extends HqlParserBaseVisitor<Object> implem
 
 			final SqmExpression<?> arrayExpr = (SqmExpression<?>) arrayInListContext.expression().accept( this );
 			final SqmExpressible<?> arrayExpressible = arrayExpr.getExpressible();
-			if ( arrayExpressible != null && !( arrayExpressible.getSqmType() instanceof BasicPluralType<?, ?>) ) {
-				throw new SemanticException(
-						"Right operand for in-array predicate must be a basic plural type expression, but found: " + arrayExpressible.getSqmType(),
-						query
-				);
+			if ( arrayExpressible != null ) {
+				if ( !(arrayExpressible.getSqmType() instanceof BasicPluralType<?, ?>) ) {
+					throw new SemanticException(
+							"Right operand for in-array predicate must be a basic plural type expression, but found: " + arrayExpressible.getSqmType(),
+							query
+					);
+				}
+				testExpression.applyInferableType( ( (BasicPluralType<?, ?>) arrayExpressible.getSqmType() ).getElementType() );
 			}
 			final SelfRenderingSqmFunction<Boolean> contains = getFunctionDescriptor( "array_contains" ).generateSqmExpression(
 					asList( arrayExpr, testExpression ),
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/function/array/ArrayContainsTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/function/array/ArrayContainsTest.java
index 2167a8ed5a..9bfdf9680d 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/function/array/ArrayContainsTest.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/function/array/ArrayContainsTest.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import org.hibernate.testing.jdbc.SharedDriverManagerTypeCacheClearingIntegrator
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.BootstrapServiceRegistry;
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.DialectFeatureChecks;
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.DomainModel;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.JiraKey;
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.RequiresDialectFeature;
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactory;
 import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.SessionFactoryScope;
@@ -157,4 +158,22 @@ public class ArrayContainsTest {
 		} );
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	@JiraKey( "HHH-18851" )
+	public void testInArray(SessionFactoryScope scope) {
+		scope.inSession( em -> {
+			List<Tuple> results = em.createQuery(
+							"select e.id " +
+									"from EntityWithArrays e " +
+									"where :p in e.theArray",
+							Tuple.class
+					)
+					.setParameter( "p", "abc" )
+					.getResultList();
+
+			assertEquals( 1, results.size() );
+			assertEquals( 2L, results.get( 0 ).get( 0 ) );
+		} );
+	}
+
 }