List of Kinks: The Complete Directory, Organized by Category

A kink is any consensual sexual interest that falls outside what’s considered conventional — see our plain-language definition of kink if you want the full explanation. There’s no single official list, because kink covers an enormous range of interests, but most of what people search for falls into a handful of recognizable categories.

This page groups the kinks people most commonly look up, with a one-line, plain-language explanation for each. Where we’ve written a full guide or glossary entry, it’s linked — everything else is a quick, honest definition to get you oriented.

Bondage & restriction

• Bondage — Any practice involving physical restraint, from soft cuffs to full rope work. See our overview of bondage types for how the main styles compare.
• Shibari / rope bondage — Japanese-influenced rope bondage focused on technique and aesthetics as much as restraint. See what shibari actually is and our picks for shibari rope.
• Rope bunny — Someone who especially enjoys being tied up in rope. See our rope bunny glossary entry.
• Cuffs & restraints — Purpose-made restraints (leather, fabric, metal), usually the fastest and lowest-skill way to try bondage. See our under-bed restraint picks.
• Breath play — Restricting a partner’s breathing as part of a scene. One of the highest-risk categories in kink; it requires real training, not just enthusiasm.
• Sensory deprivation — Removing a sense (usually sight, via blindfold or hood) to heighten the others and increase a feeling of vulnerability.
• Mummification — Full-body wrapping (plastic wrap, tape, or specialty fabric) that immobilizes almost entirely, leaving only breathing and sometimes the head free.

Power exchange & D/s dynamics

• Dominance and submission (D/s) — A consensual dynamic where one partner takes a directing role and the other takes a receptive one, in or out of the bedroom. See our guide to D/s rules and protocols.
• Collaring — A collar worn to signal a D/s dynamic, ranging from purely symbolic to a formalized commitment. See day collars specifically and our collar and day collar picks.
• Mommy Domme / Daddy Dom — A dominant style that blends nurturing, caregiving warmth with authority. See our Mommy Domme glossary entry.
• Praise kink — Strong arousal from verbal affirmation and approval — one of the most common kinks people have. See our praise kink glossary entry.
• Brat / brat-taming — A submissive who pushes back or misbehaves rather than obeying quietly, inviting a dominant to reassert control.
• Switch — Someone who moves between dominant and submissive roles, either with different partners or within the same relationship.
• Primal play — A rawer, more instinct-driven style of power exchange — chasing, growling, biting — with less structured dialogue than typical D/s.
• Financial domination (findom) — A dynamic centered on a submissive giving money, gifts, or financial control to a dominant partner as the core of the exchange.

Sensation & impact

• Spanking — Striking the body (usually the buttocks) by hand or with an implement. See our spanking paddle picks.
• Impact play — The broader category spanking belongs to: any consensual striking with hands, paddles, floggers, or canes.
• Wax play — Dripping warmed candle wax onto skin for a temperature and sensation effect. Requires low-temperature, purpose-made candles — not standard decorative ones.
• Temperature play — Using hot and cold sensations (ice, warmed oil) against skin for contrast.
• Sensation play — A general category covering varied textures and sensations (feathers, fabric, scratching) rather than one specific tool.
• Edging — Deliberately approaching orgasm and backing off repeatedly before allowing (or denying) release.
• Orgasm control / orgasm denial — One partner controlling if and when the other is allowed to orgasm, sometimes over an extended period.
• Needle play — Temporary, superficial needle insertion for sensation. A higher-risk category that calls for sterile, single-use needles and real technique, not improvisation.

Roleplay & power fantasy

• Consensual non-consent (CNC) — Acting out a pre-negotiated fantasy involving simulated non-consent, with real consent established in advance and revocable at any time. See our full CNC breakdown.
• Age play — Role-playing a specific age dynamic between consenting adults (such as “little” and “caregiver” roles, sometimes called DD/lg or MD/lb). It’s a role-play headspace, not a literal age, and it’s distinct from Mommy Domme dynamics, which don’t require it.
• Pet play — Adopting an animal persona and dynamic (most often cat or puppy) as part of a scene.
• Puppy play — The most common specific version of pet play, centered on dog-like behavior, gear, and handler dynamics.
• Medical play — Role-playing a clinical scenario (exams, “treatment”) that plays with vulnerability and authority using medical-adjacent props.
• Scenario roleplay — Broader power-dynamic scenarios (teacher/student, boss/employee, stranger encounters) built around a fictional setup rather than a fixed identity.

Exposure: watching & being watched

• Exhibitionism — Arousal from being seen, or from the possibility of being seen, during a sexual or intimate act.
• Voyeurism — Arousal from watching others, with everyone involved aware and consenting to being watched.
• Face sitting / queening — Sitting on a partner’s face for oral stimulation and a power-dynamic element.

Objects, materials & aesthetics

• Corsetry / waist training — Arousal tied to corsets and the sensation or silhouette of tight lacing.
• Latex & leather — Arousal centered on the look, smell, or feel of a specific material.
• Foot fetish / foot worship — Arousal focused on feet — one of the most common and well-studied body-part fetishes.
• Uniform fetish — Arousal tied to a specific uniform or its associated authority (military, medical, service).

Multiple partners & non-monogamy

• Threesomes — Sex involving three people. See our fantasy-vs-activity data on threesomes for how common the fantasy is compared to actually trying it.
• Group sex — Sex involving more than three people at once. Also covered on our kink popularity page.
• Cuckolding — Arousal (for one or both partners) from a partner having sex with someone else, often with an element of watching or hearing about it.
• Swinging — Couples who have sex with other people, usually together and by mutual agreement, sometimes at organized events. See our swinging data point.
• Polyamory — Maintaining multiple consensual romantic relationships at once. Not a kink on its own, but frequently listed alongside them since it’s a common landing point for people exploring non-monogamy.

Verbal & psychological

• Dirty talk — Explicit or suggestive language used during sex to heighten arousal.
• Degradation / humiliation — Consensual, pre-negotiated insults or belittling language used as a form of intensity within a scene — the functional opposite of a praise kink.

Kink vs. fetish: what’s the difference

The two get used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing. A kink is any sexual interest outside the conventional — it adds to arousal but usually isn’t required for it. A fetish is stronger and narrower: a specific object, material, or body part that’s necessary, or close to necessary, for arousal or orgasm. Nearly everything on this page is more accurately a kink; true fetishes (in the clinical sense) are a smaller subset.

Where to start

You don’t need to work through this list in order, and you definitely don’t need to try everything on it — most people have a handful of real interests, not fifty. If something above already caught your attention, our beginner’s guide to BDSM is a grounded next step, and our quiz is built to narrow a long list like this one down to where you’d actually enjoy starting.