anal sex

noun

"anal-sex" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anal sex” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sexual activity involving stimulation of a sexual partner's anus or rectum, especially by penetration with a penis or other object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anal-sex · anal sex · English

anal sex · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for anal sex
PropertyValue
Headwordanal sex
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anal sex” in English

anal sexranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anal sex is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A sexual activity involving stimulation of a sexual partner's anus or rectum, especially by penetration with a penis or other object.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for anal sex, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From anal + sex. First use appears c. 1970 in the American Sociological Review. The correct English form is anal sex, spelled A-N-A-L- -S-E-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sexual activity involving stimulation of a sexual partner's anus or rectum, especially by penetration with a penis or other object.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how anal sex appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. They had sex before either knew the other’s surname. They had anal sex before they had vaginal sex.
  2. It is a common misconception that anal intercourse is an exclusively homosexual male practice. […] As elsewhere in Africa, little data exist on the role of anal sex in HIV acquisition in women in the general population […]

Etymology

From anal + sex. First use appears c. 1970 in the American Sociological Review.

Synonyms

anal sexassfuckbumfuckbummingbum sexbuttfuckbutt-fuckingbutt sexbutt stufffifth basefudge packingGreekGreek artsHershey highwaypaedicatioreamingrectal sexsodomytaking it up the ass

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anal sex"?
"anal sex" is spelled A-N-A-L- -S-E-X.
What does "anal sex" mean?
As a noun, "anal sex" means: A sexual activity involving stimulation of a sexual partner's anus or rectum, especially by penetration with a penis or other object.
What is the origin of the word "anal sex"?
From anal + sex. First use appears c. 1970 in the American Sociological Review. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list