What does S tier mean?
S tier means the very best: the top tier of a tier list, one level above A. If something is S tier, it is exceptional, better than the merely great stuff in A. Below it the tiers run A, B, C and D down to F, the worst.
What every tier means
| Tier | Meaning | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| S | The best. Exceptional, a cut above everything else. | Your all-time favourite; the one you would defend in any argument. |
| A | Great. Excellent, just short of the very top. | You would recommend it to anyone without a caveat. |
| B | Good. Solid and enjoyable, not a favourite. | Happy to have it; would not go out of your way. |
| C | Average. Fine, forgettable, middle of the pack. | Neither a recommendation nor a warning. |
| D | Below average. Weak, with real problems. | Only if the better options are gone. |
| F | The worst. A fail. | The one you have to justify, or warn people about. |
Some tier lists add an E tier between D and F, or SS and SSS above S for things that break the scale. None of it is fixed: plenty of good tier lists use only S, B and F, or rename the tiers entirely (Must try, Fine, Never again).
Where S tier comes from
Nobody owns the S, and there is no single agreed origin. The most common explanation is grading scales that put an S grade above A. They are best known from Japan, where some universities mark the top grade 秀 (shū, “excellent”) as S, above A, B and C. In English the S is usually read as special, superior or super.
Video games spread it. Japanese action, racing and rhythm games have long given an S rank for a near-perfect run, above the A to F ranks, and fighting-game players sorted characters into tiers by how strong they were. When tier lists became a meme format online, S to F was already the scale everyone knew, so the S tier came with it.
Today a tier list is just as likely to rank snacks, movies or songs as game characters, and “S tier” has become everyday slang for the best there is.
S tier right now on BracketRanker
Each template's community tier list ranks entrants by the share of head-to-head matchups they win (S is 75% or more). These sit at the top today.
- Movies · S tier · from 521 brackets
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Avengers: Infinity War (wins 86% of 2,002 matchups) · Avengers: Endgame (wins 76% of 1,692 matchups)
- Food · A tier · from 232 brackets
Fast Food Chains
Chick-fil-A (wins 64% of 549 matchups) · McDonald's (wins 64% of 544 matchups)
- TV · A tier · from 247 brackets
Anime Series
Attack on Titan (wins 75% of 755 matchups) · One Piece (wins 67% of 612 matchups) · Naruto Shippuden (wins 64% of 596 matchups)
- Food · A tier · from 291 brackets
Candy
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (wins 72% of 818 matchups) · Twix (wins 67% of 763 matchups) · Sour Patch Kids (wins 66% of 744 matchups)
Try it: make a pizza toppings tier list
Drag each topping into a tier, or tap a topping and then a tier. What makes your S tier?
Press Space to pick an item up, arrow keys to move it between tiers, Space to drop it and Escape to cancel. Number keys send it straight to a tier: 1 for the top tier, 0 for unranked.
0 of 8 placed.Rank all of Pizza Toppings in the tier list maker
What is a tier list?
A tier list sorts things into groups from best to worst instead of numbering each one. You decide how good each thing is (S, A, B…) but not its exact place, so ties are fine and a 30-item list takes a couple of minutes. That is why tier lists took over from top-10 lists for games, food, movies and music.
When the top of a list will not settle, a head-to-head bracket does what tiers cannot: it makes you pick between two at a time. The tier list maker can do both, and fill your tiers from a bracket.
S tier FAQ
What does S tier mean?
S tier means the very best: the top tier of a tier list, one level above A. Calling something S tier says it is exceptional, a cut above even the great (A tier) picks.
What does the S stand for in a tier list?
There is no single official answer. S is most often read as special, superior or super, and the letter comes from grading scales that put an S grade above A, a scale best known from Japan, where some universities grade 秀 (shū, excellent) as S. Japanese video games carried the S rank to players everywhere, and online tier lists picked it up.
Why is S tier higher than A tier?
Because S was added above the A to F school grades to mark something better than excellent. It reads as a joke on the grading scale: an A is great, but S is off the scale.
What does F tier mean?
F tier is the bottom tier: the worst, a fail, borrowed from the F grade in school. Many tier lists skip E, so the tiers run S, A, B, C, D and F.
What do SS and SSS tier mean?
SS and SSS are tiers above S, used in some games and fan rankings for things that are better still, or as a joke when S is not enough. Most tier lists stop at S.
What is a tier list?
A tier list is a ranking that sorts things into groups (tiers) from best to worst instead of numbering every one. It is quick to make, it allows ties, and the usual tiers are S, A, B, C, D and F.
How does a tier list work?
You take a set of things (characters, movies, snacks) and put each one in a tier: S for the best, then A, B, C and D, down to F for the worst. Things in the same tier count as roughly equal, so you only decide how good each one is, not its exact place.
What do the tier list letters mean?
S is the best, A great, B good, C average, D below average and F the worst. The letters follow school grades, with S added on top for the exceptional.