How to read your result
Each percentage shows how much of that scale you agreed with, from 0 to 100. Your three highest scales form your profile.
A high score means interest, not experience, and it is not a promise to try anything. Tastes change, so treat the result as a snapshot of how you feel today.
The 12 scales
- Bondage
- You are drawn to restraint, whether you do the tying or you are the one tied. For many people the appeal is the trust and focus it creates.
- Dominant
- You enjoy taking the lead and setting the pace with a willing partner. Good dominance starts with listening to what that partner wants.
- Submissive
- You enjoy handing over the lead, by agreement, to someone you trust. Many people find it relaxing when someone else makes the decisions for a while.
- Switch
- You enjoy both sides of a power dynamic, and which one you prefer may change with the partner or the mood.
- Impact play
- You are interested in rhythmic, agreed contact such as spanking. Intensity is a matter of taste, and it is always set together.
- Sensation play
- You like exploring touch, temperature and texture, often with one sense taken away so that the others feel stronger.
- Roleplay
- You enjoy stepping into a character or a story with another adult. Imagination is the main ingredient.
- Materials and feet
- You respond strongly to specific materials or to feet. Latex, leather and lingerie are the most common examples of this kind of taste.
- Group experiences
- You are curious about intimacy with more than one adult, where everyone involved has agreed to the same rules.
- Toys and orgasm control
- You enjoy adding toys, or playing with timing and anticipation by agreement.
- Praise and verbal play
- Words matter to you. Praise, teasing or open talk about what you like, agreed in advance, does a lot of the work.
- Exhibitionism and voyeurism
- You enjoy being seen or watching, in settings where every adult involved has agreed to it.
Kink list: common terms explained
A plain-English glossary of terms you are likely to meet. Reading about something is not the same as wanting to try it.
Roles and dynamics
- BDSM
- Shorthand for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
- Dominant
- The partner who takes the lead in an agreed power dynamic.
- Submissive
- The partner who agrees to hand over the lead.
- Switch
- Someone who enjoys both the dominant and the submissive role.
- Top
- The partner who carries out the action, such as tying or spanking.
- Bottom
- The partner who receives the action.
- Power exchange
- An agreed arrangement in which one adult hands some control to another.
- Femdom
- A dynamic in which a woman takes the dominant role.
Bondage and restraint
- Bondage
- Using restraints to limit movement, by agreement.
- Rope bondage
- Restraint with rope. It is a skill worth learning from an experienced teacher.
- Shibari
- A Japanese-influenced style of rope bondage that pays close attention to pattern and form.
- Cuffs
- Padded or leather restraints worn on the wrists or ankles.
- Spreader bar
- A rigid bar that keeps the wrists or ankles apart.
- Safety shears
- Blunt-tipped scissors kept close by so that restraints can be removed quickly.
Impact play
- Impact play
- Rhythmic striking of well-padded areas of the body, agreed in advance.
- Spanking
- Striking the buttocks with an open hand or a tool.
- Flogger
- A handle with many soft tails, often made of leather or suede.
- Paddle
- A flat tool used for spanking.
- Crop
- A slim tool with a small leather tip.
Sensation play
- Sensation play
- Exploring different feelings on the skin, such as soft, warm or cool.
- Blindfold
- A cover for the eyes that makes the other senses feel stronger.
- Temperature play
- Using agreed warm or cool items, such as a chilled spoon, on the skin.
- Feather tickler
- A light feather tool for gentle, teasing touch.
Roleplay and fantasy
- Roleplay
- Acting out an agreed story or characters with another adult.
- Fantasy
- An idea you enjoy thinking about, whether or not you want to try it.
- Costume play
- Wearing an outfit that fits an agreed adult character.
- Script
- A loose plan for a roleplay, agreed before you start.
Materials, outfits and feet
- Latex
- A stretchy, glossy material worn as clothing.
- Leather
- A classic material for harnesses, cuffs and clothing.
- Lingerie
- Intimate clothing chosen for how it looks and feels.
- Harness
- Straps worn on the body, mostly for the look of them.
- Corset
- A fitted garment that shapes the waist.
- Foot fetish
- An attraction that focuses on feet.
- Foot worship
- Showing admiration for the feet of a partner, for example with a massage.
Group play and being seen
- Threesome
- Intimacy between three consenting adults.
- Group play
- Intimacy between more than two consenting adults, under rules they have all accepted.
- Swinging
- Couples who agree to be intimate with other couples.
- Exhibitionism
- Enjoying being watched by adults who have agreed to watch.
- Voyeurism
- Enjoying watching adults who have agreed to be watched.
Toys and orgasm control
- Vibrator
- A toy that gives steady or pulsing vibration.
- Remote-controlled toy
- A toy whose settings a partner can change from a distance.
- Edging
- Pausing shortly before climax and then starting again, to build anticipation.
- Orgasm control
- An agreed game in which one partner decides when the other may climax.
- Tease and denial
- A mix of teasing and waiting, within limits agreed in advance.
Praise and verbal play
- Praise kink
- Strong enjoyment of compliments and approval during intimacy.
- Dirty talk
- Talking openly about desire during intimacy.
- Verbal play
- Any agreed use of words, tone or instructions as part of intimacy.
Consent and care
- Consent
- Clear, freely given agreement from every adult involved.
- Negotiation
- The talk before you start about wishes, limits and signals.
- Safe word
- A word that immediately pauses or ends what is happening.
- Traffic-light system
- Green means continue, yellow means slow down and red means stop.
- Hard limit
- Something a person will not do under any circumstances.
- Soft limit
- Something a person is unsure about and approaches only with care.
- Aftercare
- The calm time afterwards for comfort, water and conversation.
- Scene
- An agreed period of play with a clear start and a clear end.
