diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.tsx
index cb41417338..b36fb97255 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.tsx
@@ -1311,7 +1311,7 @@ export class UnwrappedEventTile extends React.Component<EventTileProps, IState>
                             <UnreadNotificationBadge
                                 room={room || undefined}
                                 threadId={this.props.mxEvent.getId()}
-                                type="dot"
+                                forceDot={true}
                             />
                         </div>
                         {isRenderingNotification && room ? (
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge.tsx
index 69f756b3b7..1d26083b6a 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,12 @@ interface Props {
     count: number;
     level: NotificationLevel;
     knocked?: boolean;
-    type?: "badge" | "dot";
+    /**
+     * If true, where we would normally show a badge, we instead show a dot. No numeric count will
+     * be displayed (but may affect whether the the dot is displayed). See class doc
+     * for the difference between the two.
+     */
+    forceDot?: boolean;
 }
 
 interface ClickableProps extends Props {
@@ -39,8 +44,17 @@ interface ClickableProps extends Props {
     tabIndex?: number;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A notification indicator that conveys what activity / notifications the user has in whatever
+ * context it is being used.
+ *
+ * Can either be a 'badge': a small circle with a number in it (the 'count'), or a 'dot': a smaller, empty circle.
+ * The two can be used to convey the same meaning but in different contexts, for example: for unread
+ * notifications in the room list, it may have a green badge with the number of unread notifications,
+ * but somewhere else it may just have a green dot as a more compact representation of the same information.
+ */
 export const StatelessNotificationBadge = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, XOR<Props, ClickableProps>>(
-    ({ symbol, count, level, knocked, type = "badge", ...props }, ref) => {
+    ({ symbol, count, level, knocked, forceDot = false, ...props }, ref) => {
         const hideBold = useSettingValue("feature_hidebold");
 
         // Don't show a badge if we don't need to
@@ -61,10 +75,12 @@ export const StatelessNotificationBadge = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, XOR<Props,
             mx_NotificationBadge_visible: isEmptyBadge || knocked ? true : hasUnreadCount,
             mx_NotificationBadge_level_notification: level == NotificationLevel.Notification,
             mx_NotificationBadge_level_highlight: level >= NotificationLevel.Highlight,
-            mx_NotificationBadge_dot: (isEmptyBadge && !knocked) || type === "dot",
             mx_NotificationBadge_knocked: knocked,
-            mx_NotificationBadge_2char: type === "badge" && symbol && symbol.length > 0 && symbol.length < 3,
-            mx_NotificationBadge_3char: type === "badge" && symbol && symbol.length > 2,
+
+            // At most one of mx_NotificationBadge_dot, mx_NotificationBadge_2char, mx_NotificationBadge_3char
+            mx_NotificationBadge_dot: (isEmptyBadge && !knocked) || forceDot,
+            mx_NotificationBadge_2char: !forceDot && symbol && symbol.length > 0 && symbol.length < 3,
+            mx_NotificationBadge_3char: !forceDot && symbol && symbol.length > 2,
         });
 
         if (props.onClick) {
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/UnreadNotificationBadge.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/UnreadNotificationBadge.tsx
index 5864a63be0..c3c8cf7df8 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/UnreadNotificationBadge.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/UnreadNotificationBadge.tsx
@@ -23,11 +23,15 @@ import { StatelessNotificationBadge } from "./StatelessNotificationBadge";
 interface Props {
     room?: Room;
     threadId?: string;
-    type?: "badge" | "dot";
+    /**
+     * If true, where we would normally show a badge, we instead show a dot. No numeric count will
+     * be displayed.
+     */
+    forceDot?: boolean;
 }
 
-export function UnreadNotificationBadge({ room, threadId, type }: Props): JSX.Element {
+export function UnreadNotificationBadge({ room, threadId, forceDot }: Props): JSX.Element {
     const { symbol, count, level } = useUnreadNotifications(room, threadId);
 
-    return <StatelessNotificationBadge symbol={symbol} count={count} level={level} type={type} />;
+    return <StatelessNotificationBadge symbol={symbol} count={count} level={level} forceDot={forceDot} />;
 }
diff --git a/src/components/views/spaces/threads-activity-centre/ThreadsActivityCentre.tsx b/src/components/views/spaces/threads-activity-centre/ThreadsActivityCentre.tsx
index 098f2d828c..ddb1dd98d3 100644
--- a/src/components/views/spaces/threads-activity-centre/ThreadsActivityCentre.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/spaces/threads-activity-centre/ThreadsActivityCentre.tsx
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ function ThreadsActivityCentreRow({ room, onClick, notificationLevel }: ThreadsA
             label={room.name}
             Icon={<DecoratedRoomAvatar room={room} size="32px" />}
         >
-            <StatelessNotificationBadge level={notificationLevel} count={0} symbol={null} type="dot" />
+            <StatelessNotificationBadge level={notificationLevel} count={0} symbol={null} forceDot={true} />
         </MenuItem>
     );
 }
diff --git a/test/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge-test.tsx b/test/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge-test.tsx
index 66ae273e24..6ee93d82db 100644
--- a/test/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge-test.tsx
+++ b/test/components/views/rooms/NotificationBadge/StatelessNotificationBadge-test.tsx
@@ -35,4 +35,23 @@ describe("StatelessNotificationBadge", () => {
         expect(container.querySelector(".mx_NotificationBadge_dot")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
         expect(container.querySelector(".mx_NotificationBadge_knocked")).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
+
+    it("has badge style for notification", () => {
+        const { container } = render(
+            <StatelessNotificationBadge symbol={null} count={3} level={NotificationLevel.Notification} />,
+        );
+        expect(container.querySelector(".mx_NotificationBadge_dot")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("has dot style for notification when forced", () => {
+        const { container } = render(
+            <StatelessNotificationBadge
+                symbol={null}
+                count={3}
+                level={NotificationLevel.Notification}
+                forceDot={true}
+            />,
+        );
+        expect(container.querySelector(".mx_NotificationBadge_dot")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
 });