diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.js b/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
index 8d7f828cd958f8..3c4233061c8959 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.js
@@ -140,7 +140,11 @@ const TableCell = React.forwardRef(function TableCell(inProps, ref) {
   }
 
   let scope = scopeProp;
-  if (!scope && isHeadCell) {
+  // scope is not a valid attribute for <td/> elements.
+  // source: https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/tables.html#the-td-element
+  if (component === 'td') {
+    scope = undefined;
+  } else if (!scope && isHeadCell) {
     scope = 'col';
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.test.js b/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.test.js
index 99ee30b686a351..776ed9241ff7c6 100644
--- a/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.test.js
+++ b/packages/mui-material/src/TableCell/TableCell.test.js
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ import * as React from 'react';
 import { expect } from 'chai';
 import { createRenderer, describeConformance } from 'test/utils';
 import TableCell, { tableCellClasses as classes } from '@mui/material/TableCell';
+import TableHead from '@mui/material/TableHead';
+import TableRow from '@mui/material/TableRow';
+import Table from '@mui/material/Table';
 
 describe('<TableCell />', () => {
   const { render } = createRenderer();
@@ -93,4 +96,16 @@ describe('<TableCell />', () => {
     const { container } = renderInTable(<TableCell component="th" scope="row" />);
     expect(container.querySelector('th')).not.to.have.attribute('role');
   });
+  it('should not set scope attribute when TableCell is rendered as <td> within table head', () => {
+    const { container } = render(
+      <Table>
+        <TableHead>
+          <TableRow>
+            <TableCell component="td" />
+          </TableRow>
+        </TableHead>
+      </Table>,
+    );
+    expect(container.querySelector('td')).not.to.have.attribute('scope');
+  });
 });