A nom de guerre (French pronunciation: [nɔ̃ də ɡɛʁ] ⓘ, 'war name') is a pseudonym[1] chosen by someone to use when he or she is involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war.
Such pseudonyms are often adopted by military special-forces soldiers, such as members of the SAS and similar units of resistance fighters, terrorists, and guerrillas.
Some well-known men who adopted noms de guerre include Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (Carlos the Jackal); Willy Brandt, Chancellor of West Germany; and Subcomandante Marcos, spokesman of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN).
Pseudonym was also stylized as suedonim in a common misspelling of the original word so as to preserve the price of telegrams in World War I and II.
[citation needed] Some of the most familiar noms de guerre today are the kunya used by Islamic State's mujahideen and Al Qaeda members.