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Do you know how long your penis really is? If you have those numbers, how does it compare with the average penis size?

Those two questions are ones that many men spend much of their time obsessing over, but the truth is, if you’re worried about the size of your penis, you might be overestimating how much it really matters.

RELATED: Why You Should Stop Worrying About Your Penis Size

While there are a lot of cultural associations between having a big penis and being manly, that’s all they are: — cultural associations. That being said, you didn’t start reading this just to be told that measuring your penis is dumb, and we should all just get along and love each other. You came here for cold, hard facts about the length of your phallus, and everyone else’s, too.

1-Inch Penis

2-Inch Penis

3-Inch Penis

4-Inch Penis

5-Inch Penis

6-Inch Penis

7-Inch Penis

8-Inch Penis (and Bigger)

How Long Is the Average Penis?

It’s a question that’s harder to answer than you might realize.

First, penis size changes as you age, and both flaccid and erect penises often have little in common, size-wise. Measuring a significant number of penises in a controlled environment is tricky, too, and getting guys to self-report might lead to skewed results.

It’s also worth mentioning that the average size shifts from one part of the world to another, leaving you with a bit of a moving target.

RELATED: Penis Health Care

Still, the fact that it’s difficult to nail down a concrete average doesn’t make men any less obsessed. And while many experts on the subject can’t agree on a single number, they’re still close enough to give you a good idea.

“Across studies, researchers have found that the average erect penis is about 5.16 inches long and 4.5 inches wide,” says sexologist Shamyra Howard, noting that “90 percent of penises are considered ‘average’ size, measuring between 4-6 inches long.”

How to Measure Your Penis

It might seem obvious, but trust us, a lot of mistakes are made in the simple act of measurement.

How to Measure Penis Length

Take a ruler or tape measure and, beginning at the base of the penis, where the shaft meets your lower stomach, measure to the tip.

These measurements are traditionally taken along the top of the penis. Basically, it’s from where your penis meets your pubic mound up to the tip of the glans, or penis head. If you measure along the bottom, you’ll get a totally different number.

If you want to get really precise, you can take two measurements: one of your flaccid penis, and another of your erect penis.

How to Measure Penis Girth

Things get a little trickier when it comes to measuring girth, especially if you don't have a flexible measuring tape on hand. Rulers and inflexible measuring tape don't bend, and you need the flexibility of, for example, a rope or string to take an accurate measurement of your girth. If you only have a ruler on hand, though, don't worry: you can simply take a small string (like your shoelace) and use that to measure your girth, preferably midway up your shaft. Once you know how much string is required to encircle your penis, simply transpose that string onto your ruler and you'll get a measurement.

When Does the Penis Stop Growing?

Believe it or not, your penis likely won't achieve its full size until you're between the ages of 18 and 21, so if you're a young man reading this, you very likely have a few more years of growth ahead of you.

Now, knowing the average is all well and good, but unless your penis is 5.16 inches exactly, you might be in the dark about how yours fits into the bigger picture when it comes to penis length.

To help you get a better idea, we’ve broken it down by various penis lengths, from 1 inch in length to 8 and over, discussing things like how common that length is, how it compares to the average, what you should know about your penis, how potential partners might react and which sex positions are best for you.

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