• 14 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Pen

A click ballpoint and a fountain pen taken apart, and a fountain pen nib up close.

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
More options

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

All 14 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Ballpoint pen 6

  1. Barrel Houses the working parts inside.
  2. Clip Holds the pen in a pocket and stops it rolling.
  3. Push button (plunger) Clicking it pushes the tip out or pulls it back.
  4. Spring Pulls the refill back into the barrel.
  5. Refill (ink cartridge) Holds the ink; it is replaced when empty.
  6. Tip (ballpoint) A tiny ball turns in a socket, rolling ink onto paper.

Fountain pen 5

  1. Cap Keeps the nib from drying out and from damage.
  2. Converter Draws ink up from a bottle; a cartridge does the same job.
  3. Section (grip) Holds the nib and feed and screws into the barrel.
  4. Feed Carries ink from the converter to the nib.
  5. Nib The metal point that touches the paper.

Nib close up 3

  1. Tines Spread slightly under pressure, widening the line.
  2. Slit Carries ink to the point by capillary action.
  3. Breather hole Lets air in and stops the slit cracking.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. (1) A pen maker's guide, Parts of a Pen, https://www.pens.com/blog/parts-of-a-pen/ : tip or nose cone, ink chamber or cartridge, spring, barrel, thrust device or cam. (2) A fountain pen seller's Anatomy of a Fountain Pen, https://www.gouletpens.com/blogs/fountain-pen-blog/anatomy-of-a-fountain-pen : cap, clip, finial, barrel, section, nib, tipping, slit, tines, breather hole, feed, converter and cartridge. (3) A promotional pen maker's anatomy page, https://crestline.com/c/anatomy-and-mechanisms-of-pens : cap, clip, grip, push button, twist mechanism, tips. (4) Wikipedia, Ballpoint pen, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballpoint_pen (ball in a socket, ink reservoir, refills, plunger, spring, button) and Fountain pen, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen (nib, tines, slit, breather hole, feed, section, barrel, cap, cartridge, converter). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work

How it works

Two pens taken apart. A click ballpoint hides a spring and a refill in its barrel, and a fountain pen feeds ink from a converter, through the feed, to a split nib.

Read the full guide

How a click pen works

Pressing the push button turns a small cam inside the barrel, the thrust device, which holds the refill out. Press again and the spring pulls the refill back. At the tip, a tiny ball rolls ink onto the paper.

Parts of a fountain pen

Ink flows from the converter, or a cartridge, through the section and along channels in the feed to the nib. It reaches the paper down the slit between the two tines, which starts at the breather hole.

Questions and answers

What is the metal tip of a fountain pen called?

The nib. Its two halves are the tines, and the fine cut between them is the slit, which ends at the breather hole.

What is the part of a pen you click?

The push button, or plunger. It works a cam called the thrust device, which pushes the refill out or lets the spring pull it back.

What is the difference between a converter and a cartridge?

Both hold a fountain pen's ink. A cartridge is sealed and thrown away when empty; a converter is refilled from a bottle.