Sex Position Names and Types

Missionary, doggy style, cowgirl: sex position names can sound like a secret code, but each one just describes how you and your partner fit together. Learn a few, and it gets a lot easier to ask for what you want.

Most positions fit into a handful of groups. Some involve penetration, some don't, and some, like oral or hand play, can go either way. From there, it's about who's on top, which way you face, and whether you're lying down, sitting, or standing.

So how many positions are there? Nobody has an official count, and new ones are added all the time. Most new positions are a small twist on a classic: a different angle, an added pillow, or facing the other way. If a name sounds intimidating, there's a good chance you already know the basics.

Want to see how they work? Browse our sex positions guides at Adam & Eve.

Start with whatever sounds fun to you both. Every body is different, so what feels great for one person may not for another. The position one person finds comfortable can be uncomfortable for another. So start with what you're both curious about and be prepared to adjust to your comfort.

Here's an easy way to try something new: start with a position you already like, then try a small variation. If you enjoy being on top, read up on basic cowgirl before anything more athletic. Rear entry fans can begin with a lower-effort take such as lazy doggy, which is a gentler starting point than a standing variation. Say the name out loud to your partner beforehand, agree that either of you can call it off at any point, and let curiosity set the pace.

Here are the main types of sex positions, plus a few names you'll hear in each:

• Front entry with the penetrating partner on top. This family holds missionary and its many named variations.
• Rear entry. Doggy style lives here, along with everything built around it.
• Receiving partner on top. Cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, and the riding variations belong to this group.
• Sitting and kneeling. These are the positions where one or both partners stay upright and supported.

The standard grouping adds three more families. Standing positions include the ones where a partner is lifted or braced. Furniture positions let a bed edge, a chair, or a wedge do some of the supporting. Positions during pregnancy are grouped on their own, because what feels comfortable changes.

Oral positions form their own group, and non-penetrative arrangements that involve petting or rubbing form another.

Each of the main families already has its own space at Adam & Eve, which is the fastest way to get from a name to an actual explanation. There are dedicated collections for missionary positions, doggy style positions, cowgirl positions, and Kama Sutra positions.

Some names get very specific. The missionary family alone contains named variations such as the coital alignment technique and the butterfly, plus more particular entries such as the covered bridge, while the Kama Sutra family carries names like the piledriver. Each one is a familiar position with a small twist and a catchy name.

Trying a new position works best when both of you actually want it, and saying so out loud is important. Tufts University's Consent 101 guidance describes consent as an informed, deliberate, and voluntary decision to do something mutually desired.

Discussion the position before you try something new, and check in as you go. A quick "How does that feel?" keeps you both comfortable. Either of you can switch or stop anytime.

Agreeing to try a position isn't agreeing to stay in it, and anyone can change their mind partway through for any reason at all. "Is this okay?" and "do you want to stay here or switch?" are easy questions that keep everyone comfortable. It is always okay to stop.

Many positions have colorful origin stories. Start with the most famous one. According to Wikipedia's entry on the missionary position, the term most likely originates with Alfred Kinsey's 1948 book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Humorously, "missionary position" likely comes from Kinsey, who mistakenly believed missionaries had taught it to Pacific Islanders. Kinsey confused a Trobriand phrase, misinari si bubunela, or "missionary fashion," which actually described an engaged couple holding hands, and the medieval Catholic Church's teaching on the position. Kinsey assumed missionaries had introduced it, and so the phrase was coined.

Doggy style has a hazier history and a longer one. The specific origin of the term is not known and is presumed to refer to the posture dogs take when mating, but Wikipedia's doggy style entry records much older labels for the same arrangement. Ancient Rome called it coitus more ferarum, meaning intercourse in the manner of wild beasts. The Kama Sutra calls it the cow position, or the congress of a cow. Several cultures described the very same arrangement, and each one reached for a different animal to explain it.

Not every name has a traceable story. Cowgirl and reverse cowgirl, for example, have no well-sourced word history at all. Sometimes a name simply caught on and stayed.

Notice how many positions depend on holding an angle or staying propped up. That's exactly what a wedge or a position pillow is for. A foam wedge holds the angle for you, so your arms, knees, and back don't have to. Your favorite positions stay comfortable longer, and a few you'd written off might be back on the table.

Pick a shape based on how much lift you want. A gentle wedge changes the angle a little. A taller ramp works well for rear entry and on-top positions. A small pillow raises the hips or cushions the knees. How the piece stores, and how it looks in the room between uses, are worth thinking about too.

Adam & Eve carries wedges, ramps, position pillows, and combinations of the three. The Liberator Wedge is the classic starting shape, and the taller Liberator Ramp creates a longer incline for rear entry and on-top arrangements. The Liberator Heart Wedge reads as ordinary decor when it's not in use, the Liberator Jaz Position Pillow is a smaller lift for hips and knees, and the Adam & Eve Inflatable Position Pillow packs down small when storage matters. Pick the shape that matches the arrangement you want to try, and browse the full selection of Liberator position aids at Adam & Eve.