# Does a clitoris differ from a penis in any meaningful way? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612 "2014-10-26T23:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/21 "2015-01-02T06:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Does a clitoris differ from a penis in any meaningful way? Why, yes, there’s a [Vas Deferens!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vas_deferens) 😉 Really? It took until now for someone to provide the obvious punchline?? Shame, Dopers, Shame! ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/22 "2015-01-02T21:24:48Z")
> [@Phnord\_Prephect](#): > > Why, yes, there’s a [Vas Deferens!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vas_deferens) 😉 > > Really? It took until now for someone to provide the obvious punchline?? Shame, Dopers, Shame! When I had a vasectomy years ago, the doctor could only find one vas. Turns out I was half-vassed! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/23 "2015-01-02T21:45:25Z")
I’ll be back when the circumcision jokes start. ---
**Author:** ![1jow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/dbc845/32.png) [@1jow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1jow)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/24 "2015-01-04T00:43:54Z")
IMO the C is more sensitive due to being an inside organ. I was told that if you met some resistance but was shown or found the “C” you were home free w/o resistance. Why does finding seem to be a search or coaching? My guess is the small size. I feel all are just inside the “V’s ” top which means I start searching there w/o help. LOL At My Language! After 50 years of searching, at age 68. The searching is part of the fun before trying to find a bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/25 "2015-01-04T06:03:45Z")
What’s the meaningful difference between a clitoris and a golf ball? A man will spend a half hour looking for a golf ball. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/26 "2015-01-04T06:44:28Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Well, this explains why vibrators work so well. All that internal structure is presumably full of nerve endings that go to pleasure centers in a woman’s brain. But there’s no easy way to stimulate it except for indirectly by vibration. That’s why it has a hood; direct stimulation is a little too much of a good thing. And when erect, it CAN become large enough to wrap one’s hand around. Ask me how I know this. 😛 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/27 "2015-01-04T07:46:45Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > And when erect, it CAN become large enough to wrap one’s hand around. Ask me how I know this. You read it on a single-mum/divorcee messageboard? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/28 "2015-01-04T11:54:54Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > What’s the meaningful difference between a clitoris and a golf ball? > > A man will spend a half hour looking for a golf ball. Oh dear, what inept lovers you must have known. I mean, I’m not Jack Newhouse or anything, but it didn’t take me a tenth of that time to find it, as a callow teenager who’d never even been to third base before being called up to bat for real. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/29 "2015-01-05T09:31:59Z")
Reading through the links given in this thread, I found [that](http://blog.museumofsex.com/the-internal-clitoris/): > [@](#): > > we now understand how the erectile tissue of the clitoris engorges and surrounds the vagina—a complete breakthrough that explains how what we once considered to be a vaginal orgasm is actually an internal clitoral orgasm. That’s a difference between the reproductive organs of males and females. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/30 "2015-01-05T09:55:23Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > Oh dear, what inept lovers you must have known. I mean, I’m not Jack Newhouse or anything, but it didn’t take me a tenth of that time to find it, as a callow teenager who’d never even been to third base before being called up to bat for real. joke /jōk/ noun noun: joke; plural noun: jokes 1. a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, especially a story with a funny punchline. “she was in a mood to tell jokes” synonyms: funny story, jest, witticism, quip; More ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/31 "2015-01-05T11:13:05Z")
Forget it, **zoid**. It’s Durpertown. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/32 "2015-01-05T14:06:08Z")
I’m not sure what Durpertown means, but as far as jokes go, I was hoping for something more than a tired old cliche that might, possibly, have been funny as recently as the year this column started fighting ignorance, and it seemed only polite to sympathise with **Johanna** if she has found men unable or unwilling to find her clitoris. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/33 "2015-01-05T15:17:10Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > it seemed only polite to sympathise with **Johanna** if she has found men unable or unwilling to find her clitoris. Umm…not sure if **Johanna** has transitioned that far yet… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/34 "2015-01-05T17:21:24Z")
_Snort_ Where the fuck IS it??!! ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/35 "2015-01-05T18:07:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Umm…not sure if **Johanna** has transitioned that far yet… Transitioned? 😕 [mode=Fast\_uptake] Ah, got it. Oh, well, perhaps sharing tired old jokes about men’s ineptitude with one’s fellow-women helps with the mental adjustment, or something. I wouldn’t know… any more, it seems, that **Johanna** might know about men’s ability to locate a clitoris. [/mode] ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/36 "2015-01-05T18:34:08Z")
> [@Phnord\_Prephect](#): > > Why, yes, there’s a [Vas Deferens!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vas_deferens) 😉 > > Really? It took until now for someone to provide the obvious punchline?? Shame, Dopers, Shame! /thread …just sayin ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/37 "2015-01-06T00:33:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Umm…not sure if **Johanna** has transitioned that far yet… Oh, you had to mention that. Yes, I have, and I love the heck out of it, thank you very much. Wait—“Jack Newhouse”? Is that an oblique reference to Giacomo Casanova? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/38 "2015-01-06T06:47:12Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Oh, you had to mention that. Sorry, it was just that last I read (which admittedly was a while ago - probably that stupid pitting by **kimera** ) you hadn’t. > [@](#): > > Yes, I have, and I love the heck out of it, thank you very much. That’s great. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/39 "2015-01-06T07:37:55Z")
\<_Slapping self on forehead_\> Yanno, I was actually googling “Jack Newhouse” when I paused to parse out “Casanova”. And I’m glad to know what **Johanna** means by what she has in her Location. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2015, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612/40 "2015-01-06T09:46:12Z")
There are many homologous organs in the reproductive system because they derive from the same fetal tissue. So sure, a penis is basically a big, modified clitoris. Other pairs include ovaries/testes, labia/scrotum, and hood/foreskin. This might help some men be more understanding. It’s not impossible, but it’s generally difficult for most men to orgasm without penile stimulation, so it shouldn’t be a mystery why women prefer clitoral/hood stimulation. The resemblance becomes much more obvious if you’ve ever seen a woman with a larger than average clitoris, or seen a video where they use vacuum suction to engorge it. Some mammals have particularly oversized clitorises called a pseudo-penis. Female hyenas famously have a very penis-like clitoris, with a urethra and birthing canal. Just like a lot of mammals have a bone in their penis, some have a bone in their clitoris. I don’t think that’s too odd, compared to a lot of other evolutionary flesh molding that goes on. Tetrapods are fish twisted and hammered into surviving on land. Your arms and legs are highly derived fins. Your lungs used to be the swim bladder. Your jaw and inner ear were gills arches, and so on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-clitoris-differ-from-a-penis-in-any-meaningful-way/702612.md?page=1)