To make a tier list, pick a topic, write down 10 to 40 things to rank, then sort each one into rows labeled S, A, B, C, D and F, from best to worst. The S row is for the very best, A to D work like school grades, and F is the bottom. A good tier list takes about ten minutes. The hard part is not the dragging but deciding what each tier means before you start, so your choices stay consistent from the first item to the last.
You can build one right now in the free Tier List Maker: type your items or drop in pictures, drag them into tiers and download the result as a PNG. Nothing is uploaded and you do not need an account. This guide walks through the steps and the habits that make a ranking people actually want to share and argue about.
What is a tier list?
A tier list is a ranking that groups items into levels instead of numbering them 1 to N. Two items in the same tier are roughly equal, which is often more honest than pretending your 7th and 8th favorite are meaningfully different.
The usual tiers are:
| Tier | Meaning |
|---|---|
| S | The very best, above an A |
| A | Excellent |
| B | Good |
| C | Average |
| D | Below average |
| F | The worst |
The letters borrow from school grades, with S added on top for standouts. You are not stuck with them: rename the rows to "Must try / Fine / Skip", "Daily driver / Sometimes / Never" or anything else that fits your topic.
How to make a tier list in 5 steps
- Choose a topic narrow enough to judge fairly. "Every snack ever" is too wide. "Gas station snacks", "Mario Kart tracks" or "Programming languages I have used at work" give you a clear set of items and a clear way to compare them.
- Make the list of items first. Write them all down before ranking anything, one per line. In the Tier List Maker, paste the list into the text box and every line becomes an item in the Unranked pool. For a visual list, drag image files onto the upload area instead; each picture becomes an item.
- Decide what the tiers mean. One sentence per tier is enough, such as "S: I would buy it again today; F: I would not finish it." Writing this down is what keeps the 30th item judged by the same rules as the first.
- Drag each item into a tier. Place the items you are sure about first, then the hard ones. Within a tier you can reorder items left to right if order matters to you. On a phone, tap an item and then tap the row you want; with a keyboard, use the arrow keys.
- Add a title and download the PNG. The title appears at the top of the image, so make it specific: "Every Pixar movie, ranked by rewatch value" beats "Movies." Items still in Unranked are left out of the image, so you can hold back anything you have not tried.
Tips for a tier list people want to share
- Use about 15 to 40 items. Fewer than 10 feels thin; more than 50 gets hard to read in one image. The Tier List Maker draws ten items per line and makes a tier taller as it fills.
- Avoid an empty or overcrowded S tier. If half the list is S, the ranking says nothing. If nothing is S, ask yourself whether your standards are realistic.
- Use pictures for visual topics. Characters, logos, foods and album covers are recognized faster from an image than from a word. Square images look best, because photos are center-cropped to squares in the export. If a picture is huge, shrink it first with the Image Resizer, or trim the subject with the Image Crop Tool so it stays in frame.
- Explain one surprising pick. When you post the image, add a sentence on the placement people will argue with. That is what starts the conversation.
- Let the group vote. For a shared list, go through items one at a time and let everyone call a tier. If a tie will not resolve, a Spin Wheel Picker settles it.
Tier list vs ranked list vs bracket
| Format | Best for | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Tier list | Large sets where many items are about equally good | Says less about the exact order inside a tier |
| Ranked list (1 to N) | Short lists, such as a top 10 | Forces fake precision between similar items |
| Bracket | Picking a single winner through head-to-head matchups | Early matchups decide a lot; one bad pairing knocks out a strong item |
If you need one winner rather than a full picture, try a Tournament Bracket Generator instead: it pairs items up and advances the winner of each matchup.
Tier list ideas to try
- Video games: characters, weapons, maps, or every game in a series.
- Food: fast food fries, pizza toppings, cereals, regional dishes.
- Work and study: note-taking apps, programming languages, text editors, study methods.
- Entertainment: movies in a franchise, TV seasons, albums by one artist.
- Everyday life: chores, coffee orders, holidays, phone features.
Pick something you have strong but explainable opinions about. A tier list is a conversation starter, and the best ones are specific.
Common questions
What does S tier mean? S tier is the level above A, used for the very best items in a list. Below it, A to D work like school grades and F is the lowest.
How many tiers should a tier list have? Six (S, A, B, C, D, F) is the standard and works for most topics. For short lists, three or four tiers can be clearer; in the Tier List Maker you can rename, recolor, add or remove tiers.
Can I make a tier list with pictures? Yes. In the Tier List Maker, drag image files onto the upload area and each one becomes an item. The images stay in your browser and are never uploaded.
How do I save or share a tier list? Click Download PNG to save the finished list as an image you can post anywhere. Your tiers, title and text items are also kept in your browser, so they are there when you come back; images need to be added again after a reload.
Is a tier list the same as a ranking? It is a kind of ranking that groups items into levels instead of giving each one its own number, so items in the same tier count as roughly equal.