Use the alphabet as a map
Kinks are adult interests in particular sensations, roles, materials or fantasies beyond someone’s idea of conventional sex. This A–Z links 120 existing glossary terms, including related communication and community vocabulary. A label does not establish consent, safety or a diagnosis. Ask what it means to the individual before assuming what they want.
An interest may stay in reading, fantasy or conversation without becoming a request for an activity. For interests centred on a feature, fabric or object, read body-part and object-focused interests before inferring what someone wants.
An alphabetical list cannot establish what is normal, safe or lawful. The CPS guidance for England and Wales treats prior discussion, limits and continuing consent as relevant in its BDSM section. The terminology guide explains why labels are shorthand. People can use a word differently, prefer no label, or enjoy a private fantasy without wanting an activity. The sections below therefore describe questions that make each term useful in conversation.
How to use this list
Choose a letter, read a short description, then open the linked glossary entry before drawing a conclusion. The terms are arranged by their displayed names rather than trying to fill every letter of the alphabet. Each description is a signpost, not a definition of what any particular person wants. Some labels overlap, and a person might use another word or none at all. The individual entries explain scope and common misunderstandings in more detail.
If a term interests you, decide whether you mean reading, fantasy, conversation or a possible shared activity. Those are different requests. Ask about privacy, limits, communication and an easy way to decline before proposing anything practical. For physical, medical or legal questions, a one-sentence entry cannot replace the relevant detailed guide or qualified UK advice. The jump links below lead to letters represented in this selection; an absent letter is not a judgement about its interests.
The most common kinks
Published surveys often find that an interest is more widespread than a person might assume, but they do not supply a reliable UK league table. In a Canadian Internet survey of adult fantasies, Joyal, Cossette and Lapierre reported that submission and domination themes were common among both men and women. The roles guide and power-exchange guide explain those terms without turning a fantasy into a commitment.
A Belgian survey by Holvoet and colleagues separately asked about BDSM-related fantasies, activities and identification. Its findings show why having an interest, having tried something and calling yourself a practitioner are different measures. Neither study establishes which activities British adults do most often. The BDSM introduction explains the overlapping categories; the normality guide compares UK and international research and its limits.
For useful reading rather than a popularity ranking, follow the themes that interest you in the list below. An unfamiliar preference is not automatically a problem, and a frequently reported one does not become safe or consensual because it is common. Surveys of fantasies cannot decide what you or a partner should try. Specific wishes, limits and present consent matter more than belonging to a majority.
B and D: restraint and roles
Bondage is a broad interest in restriction or restraint. Some people mean the imagery or clothing; others mean a real activity. Those are not equivalent promises. Ask whether the interest is visual, fictional or practical, and do not treat an object as evidence that a person wants to be restrained. Real restraint raises communication and release questions that this alphabetical page cannot teach. The dedicated restraint guide remains an outline pending its research pack, so do not use it as a technique lesson.
Dominance and submission, often abbreviated D/s, concerns negotiated authority in an adult role or relationship. It may be brief or recurring, symbolic or woven into agreed routines. The person directing a particular activity is not necessarily the person with broader authority. Ask when a role starts, what sits outside it, and how anyone can end it. The roles guide distinguishes a dominant, submissive, top, bottom and switch without assigning personality or gender to any role.
F and I: focus and sensation
A fetish commonly names a strong focus on an object, material, feature or situation. It may be private, shared, aesthetic or sexual; the person using the word can clarify. A focus on someone's clothing does not make that person a prop or grant permission to touch, photograph or comment on them. The comparison guide separates the everyday terms from clinical language and explains why an interest alone is not a diagnosis.
Impact play names an umbrella of agreed impact sensations and meanings. This page does not specify equipment, body areas, force or technique. The concern may be a sound, role or fantasy rather than a particular act. Its risks and UK legal context require their own careful assessment; the impact guide provides non-instructional context. In any discussion, make visible marks, pain, privacy, consent and stopping separate questions. A familiar label is not a safety rating.
R and S: stories and sensory interests
Role-play uses an agreed fictional frame. One person may like a story while declining its dialogue, costume, audience or photograph. Ask which part of the fiction is appealing and what ordinary out-of-character words will end it. Real boundaries continue through a performance. The fantasy guide covers the difference between imagination and a real-world request. Do not involve real bystanders, people who have not consented, or anyone under 18 in an adult role-play plan.
Sensation play is a broad description of attention to texture, temperature or other sensations, not a promise of intensity. Spanking is a more particular term associated with impact; it is linked here because an alphabet cannot capture the differences between the two. People may mean a private fantasy rather than practice. If an interest involves a real physical act, learn the specific health and legal context instead of treating this list as enough. The sensation guide focuses on planning and changing course without offering a technique.
A
Aftercare — Planned support or communication after a consensual kink or BDSM scene, used to help participants move out of roles, attend to comfort and make sense of the experience.
Armpit interest — A focused adult attraction to armpits that may involve appearance, scent, hair, clothing, movement or consensual intimacy.
B
Balloon fetish — An adult interest in balloons that may centre on colour, shape, surface, movement, sound, inflation imagery, fragility or the anticipation of a pop.
BDSM — An umbrella term for consensual adult practices involving restraint, rules, power exchange, intense sensation or role-based experiences.
Belly and abdominal interest — A focused adult attraction to the abdomen, potentially involving shape, softness, movement, fullness, clothing, sound or consensual touch.
Blindfold play — The consensual reduction or removal of sight using a blindfold to alter anticipation, attention, sensory balance or role experience.
Body worship — Focused, consensual admiration or ritual attention directed toward an adult partner's body or chosen feature, potentially expressing praise, devotion, service or power exchange.
Bodyweight kink — An ambiguous phrase for adult interests in body size, physique, weight, pressure or related fantasy; ask which meaning is intended.
Bondage — The consensual use or representation of restraint and restricted movement between adults for aesthetic, psychological, sensory or role-based meaning.
Boot worship — Consensual ritual or focused attention to boots as objects, symbols of authority, materials, fashion or items worn by an adult partner.
Brat and brat-tamer dynamic — A consensual adult power dynamic in which negotiated cheekiness, provocation, testing or playful resistance invites an agreed response from a brat-tamer or other partner.
Breast interest — A focused adult attraction to breasts or chest tissue, including appearance, movement, clothing, touch or symbolic associations.
C
Caning — An impact-play term for the use or fantasy of a cane-like implement.
Chastity play — A consensual dynamic in which access to sexual touch or release is symbolically or practically restricted for an agreed period.
Collaring — The consensual use or exchange of a collar as clothing, scene equipment or a symbol of role, commitment, belonging, protection, protocol or relationship meaning.
Consensual degradation — Negotiated psychological play using lowered status, language or ritual to create intensity.
Consensual exhibitionistic play — A staged adult scenario in which agreed visibility or display creates excitement.
Consensual humiliation — A negotiated form of psychological play in which embarrassment, teasing or status difference is used for intensity.
Consensual non-consent fantasy — An adult fantasy of apparent loss of control in which real refusal always stops everything and consent stays withdrawable.
Consensual objectification — Role-play in which a person is temporarily treated as a symbolic object, display or function under agreed conditions.
Consensual voyeuristic play — A staged adult scenario in which being watched, or watching, is agreed by everyone involved.
Consent negotiation — An explicit and continuing process through which adults agree the scope of a kink or BDSM interaction, including roles, boundaries, communication, relevant risks and conditions that could affect capacity.
Cuckolding and hotwifing — Consensual adult fantasies or arrangements in which a partner's erotic attention to another adult carries meaning for the relationship.
Cuffs and handcuffs — Restraint devices that limit movement and require separate attention to fit, release, circulation and consent.
D
Discipline — A negotiated structure of rules, expectations, feedback and consequences used by consenting adults within a kink or power-exchange dynamic.
Dollification — Adult role-play or transformation fantasy centred on becoming doll-like through styling, posing, stillness, scripted behaviour or consensual objectification.
Dominance and submission — A consensual adult scene, relationship structure or identity in which authority is deliberately distributed unequally within negotiated limits.
Drop — An informal umbrella for tiredness, low mood, irritability, disconnection or vulnerability that some people report after an intense scene or event.
Dungeon — A community term for a space equipped or designated for BDSM activity, which may be a permanent venue, temporary event area or private room rather than a literal underground place.
Dungeon monitor — An event-appointed role that observes a designated play area, explains or enforces house rules and responds to visible concerns within the monitor's training and authority.
E
Erotic cosplay — Adult fantasy or role-play using costumes inspired by fictional characters, genres or original personas.
Erotic hypnosis — An adult interest in agreed focused attention and imaginative suggestion, without removing choice or creating mind control.
F
Fear play — A consensual adult fantasy or role-play theme in which agreed anticipation, uncertainty or simulated fear is meaningful.
Feederism — A consensual adult interest involving feeding, being fed, indulgence, fullness, weight-change fantasy or feeder-and-feedee roles, with wide variation in goals and conduct.
Fetish — A sustained erotic or intimate focus on a particular object, material, body feature or highly specific context.
Financial domination — A power-exchange interest in which money, gifts or financial control carry symbolic or erotic meaning.
Findom tributes and financial submission — Terms used in some financial-domination communities for agreed payments, spending or money-themed roles between adults.
Flogging — An impact-play term usually referring to a multi-strand implement.
Food play — An agreed adult sensory interest in food, taste, scent or mess.
Foot fetish — A pronounced erotic focus on feet, their appearance, movement, scent, touch or associated footwear.
Foot worship — A consensual adult focus on feet as objects of attention, admiration, service, ritual or erotic interest.
Footwear and boot fetish — An attraction to shoes or boots, sometimes focused on a specific shape, material, heel, wear pattern or cultural association.
Furry interest — An interest in a fandom of fictional animal-like characters and personas; the wider fandom is not inherently sexual.
G
Gender play — Consensual adult exploration of gendered clothing, language, roles, mannerisms or presentation within fantasy, performance or power exchange.
Glove fetish — An attraction to gloves as objects, materials or symbols of formality, cleanliness, authority or concealment.
H
Hair fetish — An erotic focus on hair, which can include its texture, style, colour, scent, cutting or grooming.
Hand fetish — A focused adult interest in hands, fingers, nails, gestures or movement.
Hand worship — A consensual adult focus on hands as objects of attention, admiration, service, aesthetic interest or erotic meaning.
Hard and soft limits — Firm boundaries and conditional possibilities discussed before an activity; neither creates an obligation to agree.
Hosiery fetish — A focus on stockings, tights, socks or related garments.
House rules — Venue- or organiser-specific requirements governing entry, conduct, privacy, equipment, activities, substances, consent, reporting and removal from an event or space.
I
Ice and cold-temperature play — A sensory interest in cold objects, temperature contrast or the anticipation of cold.
Impact play — A broad term for consensual striking used to create sound, rhythm, sensation or power exchange.
Inflation fantasy — A transformation fantasy involving imagined expansion of a body, body part, garment or character, usually explored through art, fiction, costume or visual effects.
K
Kink — Kink is a consensual adult interest, fantasy or practice considered unconventional in its context.
Kitten play — Adult pet play using a cat-like persona, often involving affection, independence, playfulness, grooming symbolism, movement or an owner-and-pet power dynamic.
L
Latex and rubber fetish — An attraction to the appearance, feel, scent, sound or ritual of wearing latex or rubber.
Leash play — An adult interest in a lead as a symbol of guidance, pet play or ritual; it is not a safety rating.
Leather fetish — An attraction to leather’s visual, tactile or olfactory qualities, or to the identities and subcultures associated with leather clothing.
Lingerie fetish — An attraction to intimate apparel as an object, aesthetic or part of dressing and role expression.
M
Marking kink — A consensual adult interest in temporary visible marks, symbols or traces on the body or clothing, which may be valued for aesthetics, memory, ritual or negotiated power.
Master/slave dynamic — A consensual adult power-exchange structure using Master, Mistress or slave language and a deliberately pronounced authority distinction whose actual scope is negotiated by the participants.
Messy play — A sensory interest in contact with visibly wet, soft or messy materials, often valued for texture, spectacle or a playful loss of neatness.
Munch — An informal social gathering associated with kink communities, usually held in an ordinary public venue and focused on conversation rather than organised play.
Muscle interest — Attraction to muscular development, strength, flexing, movement or symbolic meanings associated with power and physique, sometimes expressed through admiration or worship.
N
Navel fetish — A focused adult attraction to the navel or surrounding abdomen, including appearance, shape, movement, clothing, symbolism or consensual touch.
Newcomer frenzy — Community shorthand for early enthusiasm that can move faster than someone’s information, support or judgement.
O
Objectophilia — A pattern of strong romantic, emotional or sexual attraction directed towards particular inanimate objects.
Orgasm control — An adult interest in agreed anticipation or timing around orgasm, with limits and stopping kept under discussion.
P
Paddles, crops and impact implements — A comparison term for different impact-play objects whose materials, construction and meaning vary.
Partialism — A pronounced focus on a particular non-genital body part or feature.
Pegging — A consensual adult practice using a wearable harness and attachment, with specific communication and sexual-health considerations.
Pet play — Adult role-play built around stylised animal identities or handler-and-pet dynamics.
Play — Community shorthand for consensual adult kink, role-based or sensory activity.
Play party — A private or organised adults-only event where consensual kink activity may occur under participant negotiation and venue-specific rules.
Pony play — Adult pet-play fantasy involving a stylised horse-like persona, costume or negotiated handler role.
Power bottom — An informal, context-dependent label for a bottom who is notably active, directive, assertive or influential in shaping the pace and content of an interaction.
Praise kink — An interest in affirmation, approval or being told one has performed well, often within a negotiated role or intimacy dynamic.
Pressure and bodyweight play — A broad adult umbrella for consensual interest in weight, pressure, pinning or physical presence.
Primal play — A loosely defined adult style that emphasises instinct-like expression, movement, sound or pursuit within consent.
Protocol — An agreed pattern of behaviour, communication, presentation or ritual used by consenting adults to express a kink or power-exchange role.
Pup play — A form of adult pet play in which a participant adopts a stylised puppy or dog-like persona, often with emphasis on playfulness, pack community, headspace or handler dynamics.
PVC and wetlook fetish — An attraction to glossy synthetic garments and their sheen, texture or fitted appearance.
R
Rigger and rope bottom — Activity-role terms for the person applying or directing rope and the person receiving it; neither role automatically establishes dominance, submission, expertise or relationship status.
Robot and machine role-play — Adult fantasy or role-play involving programmed behaviour, mechanical movement, remote commands, artificial identity or imagined transformation into a robot or machine.
Role-play — The consensual adoption of fictional roles, settings or scripts to explore identity, authority, vulnerability or fantasy.
Rope bondage — A form of bondage using rope for restraint, connection, visual composition or ritual.
S
Sadism and masochism — In consensual adult kink, sadism and masochism describe interests in creating or receiving agreed physical sensation, discomfort or psychological intensity.
Safeword — A pre-agreed word, phrase or non-verbal signal used during consensual adult activity to communicate a need to pause, change or stop—especially where ordinary language might be ambiguous within role-play.
Scene — A community word with two common uses: a bounded period of negotiated kink activity, or the wider social world of events, groups and people associated with kink.
Scent and odour fetish — An erotic focus on particular body, material, garment or environmental scents.
Sensation play — Exploration of contrasting tactile experiences such as softness, pressure, vibration or texture.
Sensory deprivation — The consensual reduction of one or more senses—often sight or sound—to alter attention, anticipation or dependence on communication.
Service — A consensual adult dynamic in which practical care, assistance, attention or completed tasks carry relational, symbolic or erotic meaning.
Service top — An informal label for a top who performs negotiated actions primarily to provide an experience shaped around the receiving participant's interests, without necessarily taking a dominant role.
Sex-positive — An approach to sexual wellbeing that values accurate information, autonomy, consent, pleasure, respect and freedom from coercion, discrimination and violence.
Size fantasy — Adult fantasy focused on imagined differences in body size, scale or power.
Size-difference and giantess fantasy — An adult fantasy or aesthetic interest in imagined size differences and perspective.
Slime, mud and non-food messy play — A subset of messy play involving non-food wet, soft or coating materials such as slime or mud.
Sound and audio play — Consensual use of voices, music, instructions, rhythm, repeated sounds, spatial audio or controlled quiet to shape attention, atmosphere, sensation or role.
Spanking — An adult impact-play interest that can carry sensory, playful or role-based meaning.
Spreader bars and positional restraint — Terms for restraint equipment or arrangements that alter spacing, posture or movement.
SSC, RACK and the 4Cs — Community mnemonics used to prompt discussion about consent, risk, communication and care.
Statue and mannequin interest — An attraction to stillness, display or mannequin-like styling, including agreed presentation by an adult partner.
Subspace and top space — Informal descriptions for changes in attention, emotion, self-awareness, time perception or absorption that some adults report during intense consensual BDSM experiences.
Supernatural fantasy — Adult fantasy involving fictional ghosts, monsters, non-human beings or supernatural encounters, usually explored through imagination, fiction, art, costume or consensual role-play.
Switch — A person who takes more than one BDSM role, such as dominant and submissive or top and bottom, with role choice varying by activity, partner, setting or time.
T
Technosexual interest — A broad label for erotic or romantic interest shaped by technology, such as robots, artificial agents, virtual bodies or technologically mediated intimacy.
Temperature play — The controlled use of warm or cool sensations for contrast and attention.
Tickling fetish — An erotic or intensely pleasurable focus on giving, receiving or anticipating tickling.
Top and bottom — Activity-role terms commonly describing who gives, performs or directs an agreed action and who receives or experiences it; they do not automatically establish authority or identity.
Total power exchange — A consensual adult relationship model aspiring to broad delegated authority across multiple areas of life, while remaining limited by law, capacity, continuing personhood and the ability to leave.
Transformation fantasy — Fantasy centred on changing body, identity, species, material, scale or social role.
V
Vanilla — Informal, context-dependent shorthand for sexual or relationship interests perceived as conventional or not kink-focused.
Vehicle and machinery fetish — An attraction to vehicles or machinery that may centre on design, sound, power, movement, materials, ownership ritual or anthropomorphic meaning.
W
Water-based play — An umbrella for consensual adult sensory, aesthetic or ritual interests involving water, from rain imagery and bathing to wet clothing.
Watersports — An adult kink term for an interest involving urine, distinct from aquatic sport; health and consent need separate consideration.
Wax play — A form of temperature and sensation play involving melted wax.
Wet-clothing fetish — An attraction to clothing made wet, including its weight, cling, sheen, temperature, sound or transformation from an ordinary garment.
Wrestling and consensual pinning — An adult interest in wrestling-themed play, competitive movement or agreed pinning imagery.
Find the part that actually appeals
Rather than asking someone to choose one identity from the alphabet, ask which element matters: a material, a role, a story, a visual theme, a sound, closeness or an agreed change of pace. One person may use several words for the same interest; another may reject a popular umbrella term. Scope's intimacy guidance encourages asking what a person likes and needs, including access considerations. Ask in a setting where declining the question is comfortable. Being curious does not create a debt to explore with anyone else.
A common mistake is to infer a full checklist from a single word. For example, liking a role does not imply wanting a physical sensation, and enjoying a texture does not imply a community identity. Another mistake is to ask for disclosure in a public place or group chat. Agree on privacy before discussing sensitive interests. Relate's pressure guidance distinguishes an open conversation about differing preferences from one where a partner fears consequences for saying no. If fear is present, prioritise safety rather than refining vocabulary.
Common questions
Is this every type from A to Z? No. It is an alphabetically arranged starting selection with direct definitions. Can a person like more than one? Yes, and labels may overlap. Does a named interest mean a person wants to enact it? No; ask without presuming. Is every interest part of BDSM? No; the terms overlap without being identical. Does a label prove safety or consent? No. These questions explain why the links lead to fuller pages rather than a ranked list.
A final question is ‘Which guide should I read next?’ For language, try the comparison. For roles, use the role guide. For an actual activity, read its specific non-instructional guide and use qualified help for health, law or higher-risk questions. A glossary is useful for clarity; it cannot supply a personal agreement or an assessment of what happened in a particular encounter.
UK help
For worries about pressure in a relationship, Relate offers guidance on having a conversation and recognising when it may be unsafe. Galop supports LGBT+ adults facing abuse. If a physical symptom or injury is involved, use the medical-help guide and an appropriate NHS route; immediate danger calls for emergency services. If an interest causes persistent distress, a qualified professional listed by COSRT can discuss the concern without a website assigning a diagnosis.
UK law is not identical across all four nations. The CPS source above concerns England and Wales; this page does not transfer its legal test to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Use the UK help directory for nation-specific support and qualified advice for an individual legal question. The alphabet should leave readers better able to ask a precise question, not more certain about someone else's choices.