S

What does "Sierra" mean?

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter S is represented by the codeword Sierra, pronounced see-AIR-ah. When spelling over radio, phone, or in person in noisy environments, you say "Sierra" to unambiguously indicate the letter S.

History & etymology

Spanish for 'mountain range' — rolling syllables that cut through background noise.

How to use it

Say "Sierra" whenever you need to specify the letter S aloud. Common situations: dictating an email address or license plate over the phone, reading a serial number to technical support, making a radio call in aviation or maritime contexts, or simply avoiding the common confusion between similar-sounding letters (B/D/P/T, M/N, F/S).

Example

If your name starts with S, you might say "Sierra as in Sierra" when spelling it out — or use the NATO alphabet for your whole name using our translator.

Neighboring letters

Explore the codewords for the letters before and after S below. For the full 26-letter chart with pronunciation and history, visit the NATO alphabet reference page. Prefer to memorize it? Try our flashcards.