Kinky Pet Names: From Sir and Good Boy to My Favourite Slut

There's a fair distance between "babe" and "my slut". One you can yell across the supermarket when you've found the good pasta. The other's for when they've got you face down, with their mouth by your ear, and it goes through you like electricity. Names are one of the cheapest toys you'll ever own.

Some bedroom names offer praise. Others say who's in charge, who loves submitting or just how filthy things are about to get. All of this is for consenting adults, and it only works if you both love the word. Here's a guide to choosing yours.

Praise: good girl, good boy, good pet

Good girl and good boy put approval into the name itself. Said at the right moment, by the right person, they can make a grown adult weak at the knees. Good pet keeps the praise without the gender. My favourite's a softer option, if you want it. Sweet language can still belong in a very kinky bedroom, and praise and degradation are two very different pleasures.

Dominant titles: Sir, Ma'am, Mistress, Master

Sir, Ma'am, Mistress and Master make authority part of how you speak to your partner. "Sir" and "Ma'am" are direct and formal, and a simple "Yes, Sir" can change the whole room. "Mistress" and "Master" make the power dynamic a lot more explicit. You can use a title for one night, without adopting it for the rest of your relationship. Our roleplay guide might help you with that.

Submissive names: pet, kitten, brat

Pet combines affection and submission, and adding "my" gives it a real sense of ownership. Kitten brings a playful feel. Brat is all cheek, teasing and asking for it, and it's an invitation for someone to do something about it. They all suggest something different, so choose the one that fits how you want to behave. A bedroom collar makes a very good companion to any of these.

A Twilight Tease Collar & Leash gives that name something to go with. Keep the lead slack, with no pressure on the neck.

Degrading names: slut, whore, fucktoy

In consensual degradation, some people deliberately choose slut or whore for the insult or the taboo. It can be incredibly hot exactly because you'd never accept it anywhere else. Agree on the exact words first. Loving one doesn't mean loving the whole list, and a word that thrills one person might hurt another. Check in afterwards, too.

Adding affection can change the feel. My favourite slut, for example, mixes praise and filth in the one phrase.

Make it yours

Combine a name with a quality you really like: cheeky brat, sweet pet, my filthy thing. Names can change with the role, too, and a couple who switch might love having different ones. And if a word makes you laugh, try another. Or keep it, if the laughing's part of the fun.

Keep them out of the supermarket

Keep your bedroom names private unless you've both agreed otherwise. That includes contact names that pop up on your phone during a work meeting. For the words around the nickname, our dirty talk guide goes much further. Start with the kind of name that makes your stomach flip. Then tell them about it, and see what you're called tonight.