Rebus Crosswords: How Rebus Clues Work
A rebus crossword breaks the one-letter-per-square rule: a single cell can hold a whole word, several letters, or even a symbol. This page explains every kind of rebus clue with solved-square examples and reveal-answer mini grids you can play right here. And remember the classic: when a crossword clue says picture puzzle, the answer is almost always REBUS.
Easy rebus clue examples to warm up
The opening clues are the famous ones: STAND over I, MAN over BOARD, three CYCLEs in a row. Read the position, not just the letters, and each phrase falls out.
How rebus crossword squares work
Multiple choice and true or false rounds test the actual rules constructors follow, from theme squares to symbols standing in for whole words.
Mini grids with multi-letter squares
Five drawn grids put a cramped rebus square right in front of you. Work out what the cell must hold, then tap to reveal.
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1. Warm-up rebus clue: the grid shows the word STAND printed above the letter I. What phrase is hiding there?
Need a hint?
Read the position, not just the words.
Show answer
I understand (I under STAND).
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2. Decode this rebus clue: MAN written above the word BOARD.
Need a hint?
Where is the man standing relative to the board?
Show answer
Man overboard (MAN over BOARD).
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3. Decode this rebus clue: the word EGGS printed above the word EASY.
Need a hint?
It's a breakfast order.
Show answer
Eggs over easy.
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4. Decode this rebus clue: CYCLE CYCLE CYCLE.
Need a hint?
Count them.
Show answer
Tricycle. Three cycles equals tri-cycle.
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5. Decode this rebus clue: the word TOWN written vertically, reading downward.
Need a hint?
Which direction are you reading?
Show answer
Downtown. The word literally goes down.
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6. Decode this rebus clue: ARREST printed above the word YOU'RE.
Need a hint?
A police officer says this.
Show answer
You're under arrest.
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7. Decode this rebus clue: HE'S printed right next to HIMSELF.
Need a hint?
It describes someone overwhelmed with emotion.
Show answer
He's beside himself.
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8. Decode this rebus clue: ECNALG.
Need a hint?
Try reading it right to left.
Show answer
A backward glance. The word GLANCE is spelled backward.
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9. Decode this rebus clue: the word LONG printed underneath the word WEAR.
Need a hint?
Winter clothing.
Show answer
Long underwear. LONG sits under WEAR, so you read it as long under-wear.
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10. Decode this rebus clue: the word BAN followed by a gap, then ANA.
Need a hint?
Dessert, with a cherry on top.
Show answer
Banana split. The word banana is split in two.
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11. Decode this rebus clue: DEATH printed first, then LIFE printed after it.
Need a hint?
Read the order of the words as the answer's grammar.
Show answer
Life after death.
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12. Decode this rebus clue: KNEE printed above the word LIGHT.
Need a hint?
Say it out loud. This one works by sound.
Show answer
Neon light. Knee-on light, said out loud, becomes neon light.
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13. The classic crossword clue Picture puzzle, five letters. What's the answer?
REBUS is the go-to answer for Picture puzzle. If you solve crosswords, you'll meet this rebus clue again and again.
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14. In a crossword, what exactly is a rebus square?
A rebus square packs several letters, a word, or even a symbol into one cell, and the crossing answer has to use it too.
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15. On which day does the New York Times crossword traditionally hide its rebus tricks?
Thursday is the trick day. Monday is easiest, Saturday is hardest, and Thursday is where rebus squares usually live.
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16. The famous 1996 Election Day crossword let one crossing read either CLINTON or BOBDOLE, and both worked. What is that kind of puzzle called?
It's called a Schrodinger puzzle: some squares hold two valid answers at once, like the cat that's both alive and not.
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17. How do you usually enter a rebus answer in the NYT crossword app?
The app has a dedicated rebus key that opens a multi-letter box for that square. Typing just the first letter often gets marked wrong.
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18. Rebus-style clue: the letters GEGS. What's the answer?
The letters of EGGS are scrambled, so the answer is scrambled eggs. Layout is the whole clue.
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19. Rebus-style clue: HEAD printed above LO VE printed above HEELS. What's the phrase?
HEAD sits over HEELS, and LOVE is split in the middle: head over heels in love.
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20. A grid has a square where the across answer needs SUN and the down answer also needs SUN. The answers are SUNDAY and SUNRISE. What do you write?
All three letters of SUN go into the one square, and both crossing answers borrow it. That's the whole beauty of a rebus clue.
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21. Crossword clue: Picture puzzle (5 letters). Type the answer.
Show answer
REBUS
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22. Decode this rebus clue: the word READ printed between two horizontal lines.
Show answer
Read between the lines
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23. A 7-letter answer RAINBOW has to fit into five squares: R, A, I, N, and one more. What goes in the last square?
Show answer
BOW
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24. Decode this rebus clue: M CE, M CE, M CE. What nursery rhyme trio is this?
Show answer
Three blind mice
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25. When one square holds the word HEART, only the across answer uses it; the down answer ignores that square.
False. Both the across and the down answers must use everything in the rebus square. That crossing is how you confirm the trick.
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26. Rebus squares appear most often in Monday puzzles, since Monday is the easiest day.
False. Easy Monday grids play it straight. Rebus squares are a late-week move, most famously on Thursdays.
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27. The word rebus comes from Latin and roughly means by things.
True. Rebus is a form of the Latin res (thing). A rebus tells its message by things, that is, by pictures instead of plain words.
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28. The across answer is HEARTBEAT, but the row only has five squares. What goes in the first square?
Show answer
The whole word HEART, squeezed into that single first square. That's a rebus square. Five cells, nine letters: HEART all lives in cell one, then B, E, A, T finish the word.
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29. Across: RAINBOW. Down: BOWTIE. They share the marked square. What must it contain?
Show answer
BOW. The square reads RAIN+BOW across and BOW+TIE down. A rebus square must satisfy both directions. BOW finishes RAINBOW and starts BOWTIE, so all three letters share one cell.
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30. Spot the rebus square in this mini grid.
Show answer
The bottom-left square holding CAT. Three squares play by the normal one-letter rule. The CAT square holds a whole word, which makes it the rebus square.
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31. The answer is SUNDAY, but the row gives you only four squares. Fill it in your head, then reveal.
Show answer
SUN goes in the dashed square: [SUN] D A Y. Six letters, four squares. The only way SUNDAY fits is a rebus square holding SUN at the start.
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32. Some rebus squares hold a symbol instead of letters. The down answer here is HEARTLESS. What does the symbol stand for?
Show answer
The word HEART. The column reads [HEART] L E S S. Symbol rebuses trade letters for a picture, just like the famous I heart NY logo. The heart means HEART for every answer crossing it.
Your score
FAQ about Rebus Crosswords: How Rebus Clues Work
What does rebus mean in a crossword?
It means one square holds more than a single letter: a short word, a letter cluster, or a symbol. Constructors use it as a twist on the standard one letter per square rule, usually tied to the puzzle's theme.
Is REBUS really the answer to the crossword clue picture puzzle?
Almost always, yes. Picture puzzle in five letters is one of the most common ways setters clue the word REBUS, which is why regular solvers commit it to memory.
How do I play the puzzles on this page?
Tap any card to reveal its answer, or type your guess on the type-in rounds. Multiple choice clues give you four options, and every reveal explains the wordplay behind the square.
Once rebus squares feel natural, test yourself against Rebus Puzzles for Adults, or meet the British cousin of the genre with Dingbats (Whatzit) Puzzles.