Glossary Basics · MM
Butt plugs
Also called · anal plug · plug
At a glance
- In one line
- Toys shaped to stay in the anus, giving steady fullness rather than movement.
- Usually looks like
- Inserted before or during other activities and left in, from minutes to an hour.
- Gear needed
- Yes. A plug with a genuine flared base, plus far more lubricant than seems necessary.
- Talk about first
- Size, how long it stays in, and whether it stays for other activities.
Butt plugs are anal toys shaped to stay in place rather than be thrust: a tapered tip, a narrow neck, and a flared base that stops the toy going too far. They are worn during other sexual activity rather than used as the activity itself, and the sensation people describe is fullness and pressure rather than movement.
Sizes run from very slim to wide, and materials include silicone, glass, and steel, with weight and temperature changing the feel considerably. People vary on how long they wear one, whether it goes in during oral or vaginal sex to add pressure, and whether they wear one out of the house, which is a distinct appeal for some and unappealing for others. Plugs are also commonly used to warm up before anal sex.
High ratings often come from liking the steady pressure and the way it changes other sensations. Lower ratings usually reflect either no interest in anal sensation generally, or dislike of wearing something for an extended period. Starting small is standard advice, and a lot of people who dislike large plugs are fine with slim ones.
What a score means here Butt plugs
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0
Hard no: nothing goes in the anus, plugs included.
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1–33
1-33: curious or tried it, but the pressure is more distracting than pleasurable.
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34–66
34-66: wanted occasionally, usually small and for short stretches during other things.
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67–99
67-99: a regular addition you want in play, whether as warm-up or worn throughout.
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100
100: the fullness is the main event, and wearing one shapes the whole session.
Rating it
A low score means anal pressure of this kind is not something you want; a high score means plugs are something you would use regularly, whether as warm-up or as part of the main event.
Common misconceptions
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A plug is just practice for anal sex.
In practiceIt works as warm-up, but a great deal of plug use has nothing to do with penetration - the steady pressure is the point, and plugs are often worn during oral or vaginal sex instead. Wanting one implies nothing about wanting the other.
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Any small toy is fine to use anally.
In practiceAnything without a genuine flared base or retrieval loop can be drawn inside by the muscle, which is a routine emergency-department presentation. The requirement is a base wider than the widest part of the toy.
Worth knowing
Only use plugs with a genuine flared base or retrieval loop, use plenty of lubricant, insert and remove slowly, and stop if there is pain rather than forcing a size.
About this item Frequently asked
Butt plugs — questions people ask
What is a butt plug and what does it feel like?
A butt plug is a toy shaped to be held in place by the anus - tapered at the tip, narrowest at the neck, with a base wide enough to stay outside the body. The sensation described is steady fullness and pressure rather than the movement of penetration, and for people with a prostate there is added pressure against it. Plugs are commonly worn during other activities rather than being the activity itself, which is what distinguishes them from other insertable toys.
How do you use a butt plug for the first time?
Start smaller than seems worth buying, and use more lubricant than seems necessary. A first plug with a widest point under three centimetres is the usual recommendation, since the difficulty is the muscle at the entrance rather than depth. Warm the toy in your hands, go slowly, and stop at pain. Expect the first few minutes to feel odd rather than pleasurable while the internal muscle relaxes. Ten to twenty minutes is a sensible first session, and removal wants to be as slow as insertion.
How long can you safely wear a butt plug?
An hour or two is the common upper limit, and less for larger sizes, since sustained pressure restricts blood flow to the tissue. The non-negotiable rule is a genuine flared base or retrieval loop, wider than the widest part of the toy - anything without one can be drawn inside and is a routine emergency-department presentation. Beyond that: body-safe non-porous silicone, glass, or steel, plenty of lubricant with more applied before removal, no sleeping with one in, and a condom over it if it is shared.
What is the difference between wearing a plug and having anal sex?
A plug stays still; anal sex is movement, and the two feel almost nothing alike. A plug produces constant pressure that tends to fade into the background, which is why people wear them during other activities. Anal sex involves repeated motion, needs lubricant reapplied, and asks considerably more of pacing and communication. Plugs are often used as warm-up, but plenty of plug use has no connection to penetration at all. Rating one high and the other at zero is coherent and fairly common.
How should I score butt plugs?
Score whether you want the sensation, not whether it looks like a step toward something else. On the 0-100 scale, 0 is a hard no - nothing goes in the anus, plugs included. Low scores usually mean the pressure registers as distracting rather than pleasurable; the middle means occasionally, small, and for short stretches; high scores mean a regular part of play. Since the scale is continuous, size and duration are worth noting alongside: a 70 meaning a small plug for twenty minutes reads very differently from one that does not.
Appears on
This item appears on the Basics and MM tests — one vial each.