What does each spice level mean?
smutrecs.com rates spice from 0 to 5 by how much sex is on the page and how detailed it is: 0 means none, and 5 means explicit and frequent, central to the book.
| Level | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | None | No sex on the page; kissing at most. |
| 1 | Closed door | Closed door or fade to black. |
| 2 | Mild | Some sensual detail; scenes mostly off the page. |
| 3 | Moderate | Open door; a few scenes with moderate detail. |
| 4 | High | Open door; several detailed scenes. |
| 5 | Explicit | Explicit and frequent; central to the book. |
The scale measures only how much is on the page and how often. Themes are rated separately as darkness, and topics such as violence or grief are listed as content warnings. When the evidence falls between two levels, we use the lower one.
How we rate explains where the evidence comes from and when a rating is marked as checked.