Hard & Tricky Rebus Puzzles
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Inside you will find a whole town of rebus puzzles, all kinds, waiting to be cracked. Good luck, and have fun!
These are the tricky rebus puzzles with answers that veteran solvers ask for. Phrases hide in word placement, missing letters, and emoji, so expect misdirection at every turn. If a few stump you, warm up on an easier rebus page and come back swinging.
Print these hard & tricky rebus puzzles
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Tricky rebus puzzles drawn in word layouts
Most of these hide a phrase in how the words sit: stacked, sideways, oversized, or barely there. Position is the whole clue.
Letter and number rebus puzzles for expert solvers
Sound-alike codes where numbers and letters stand in for whole syllables. Read DV8 or 4GIVE out loud and listen for the hidden word.
Text rebuses and quiz rounds with answers
Race the same cards against the clock in Blitz or take them slow in Quiz mode. Every answer is one tap away.
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1. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
One long word has been broken in two: what happened to it gives the first word.
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Split personality. The word PERSONALITY is split in two by a blank gap: split personality.
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2. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Read the phrase, then say how it has been printed: that's the final word.
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Bend over backwards. The phrase BEND OVER is printed backwards (mirrored): bend over backwards.
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3. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The words are still readable: what's been drawn through them gives the first word.
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Cross my heart. A line crosses the words MY HEART: cross my heart.
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4. Read it out loud.
Need a hint?
Count the letters, then say the count and the letter's name together as one word.
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Foresees. Four C's: 'four Cs' said aloud is 'foresees'.
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5. Read it out loud.
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The letters spell sounds, and each number stands in for a little word.
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Easy for you to say. E-Z sounds like 'easy', 4 = 'for', U = 'you', 2 = 'to', then SAY: 'easy for you to say'.
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6. Read it out loud.
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The letter and number fuse into one word, and one small word is a homophone.
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Before you know it. B-4 sounds like 'before', U = 'you', NO sounds like 'know', then IT: 'before you know it'.
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7. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Say the number as a word, then say where it sits relative to the word above it.
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Under one roof. The numeral 1 sits under ROOF: (all) under one roof.
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8. Say what you see.
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The crossing-out is a verb, and the four copies make the noun plural.
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Cut corners. Four CORNERs, each crossed out: the corners have been cut: cut corners.
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9. Say what you see.
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Two copies in a column: the circle tells you which one, so name its position.
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The upper hand. Of two stacked HANDs, the upper one is circled: the upper hand.
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10. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Read the whole word, then describe which part of it is printed smaller.
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Short end of the stick. The word STICK is written with its last letters tiny: its end is short: short end of the stick.
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11. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Count the repeated word: more than a couple: and note what it is sitting inside.
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Too many irons in the fire. Four IRONs are crowded inside FIRE: too many irons in the fire.
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12. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Compare the print sizes, and notice the huge word splits the tiny one in two.
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Big fish in a small pond. A giant FISH sits inside a small, split POND: a big fish in a small pond.
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13. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The ink colour is half the answer; the fish is the other half.
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Red herring. The word HERRING printed in red ink literally shows a red herring: a misleading clue.
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14. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Watch what happens to the letter size as you read left to right.
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Growing pains. The letters of PAINS grow larger left to right: the pains are growing: growing pains.
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15. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The repetition is a decoy: the arrow singles out one position in the column.
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Second nature. The arrow points at the SECOND of three NATUREs: second nature.
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16. Say what you see.
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Say the word first, then the direction it climbs.
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Bottoms up. The word BOTTOMS is rotated so it reads upward: bottoms up.
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17. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
A small word has been struck out where it sits inside a bigger one: say what the cross-out means, where the small word sat, and then the big word.
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No end in sight. The word END is crossed out while sitting inside the word SIGHT, so there is no END in SIGHT.
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18. Read it out loud.
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The same digit is read two different ways, and the lone letter is said by its name.
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Too good to be true. 2 = 'too', GOOD, 2 = 'to', B = 'be', TRUE: 'too good to be true'.
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19. Read it out loud.
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Each digit fuses with the letters right after it: say them as one word, twice.
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Forgive and forget. 4GIVE sounds like 'forgive' and 4GET sounds like 'forget': forgive and forget.
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20. Read it out loud.
Need a hint?
The letter fused with the number is the first word; the middle letter is texting shorthand for a joining word.
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Wait and see. W-8 sounds like 'wait', N is shorthand for 'and' (as in rock 'n' roll), C sounds like 'see'.
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21. Say what you see.
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Where the top word sits relative to the bottom phrase is the whole trick.
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A cut above the rest. CUT sits above THE REST: a cut above the rest.
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22. Read it out loud.
Need a hint?
Say the two letter names, then the number, all run together as one word.
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Deviate. D-V-8 said aloud: 'dee-vee-ate': sounds like 'deviate'.
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23. Read it out loud.
Need a hint?
Say the three letter names out loud, one after another, and you will hear a single ordinary word: no extra words needed.
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Escapee. The letter names S-K-P: 'ess-kay-pee': sound like 'escapee'.
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24. Read it out loud.
Need a hint?
Say each digit the short way and squash the two sounds into a single word.
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Tutu. Two 2s said together: 'two-two': sound like 'tutu', the ballet skirt.
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25. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The two copies are a decoy. The arrow tells you which one counts: top or bottom.
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Upper crust. The arrow points at the upper of two CRUSTs: upper crust.
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26. Say what you see.
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One word has been tucked into the middle of another: say where it sits.
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Inside joke. JOKE is placed in SIDE: an IN-SIDE joke.
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27. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The word is printed the wrong way round: the direction is the second half.
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Comeback. COME is printed backwards: come back: a comeback.
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28. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Read the letters as one single word, then say what the empty middle has done to it.
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Miles apart. The word MILES has been pulled apart by a wide gap: miles apart.
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29. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The repetition is a decoy; the arrow picks one copy, so count along the row and name its place in line.
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Second opinion. The arrow singles out copy number two of three OPINIONs, a second opinion.
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30. Say what you see.
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The digit is standing in for a small word. Say the whole line out loud.
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Par for the course. PAR, the digit 4 read as FOR, then THE COURSE: par for the course.
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31. Say what you see.
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The word has been snapped in two, name the damage first, then read the word.
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Break even. The word EVEN is shown snapped in two, a break in EVEN reads as break even.
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32. Say what you see.
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The letter sizes change across the word, describe that change first.
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Growing apart. The letters of APART grow larger from left to right, so the word is growing apart.
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33. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The repetition is a decoy, count along the row to the copy the arrow picks.
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Third wheel. The arrow singles out the third of three WHEELs, the third wheel.
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34. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Read the word, then notice which direction the letters are facing.
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Kickback. KICK is printed backwards, kick plus back makes kickback.
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35. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The outer word has been split open, note where the long word is sitting.
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The elephant in the room. The word ELEPHANT is wedged inside the word ROOM, so it reads as the elephant in the room.
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36. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Say where the top line sits relative to the bottom line, but pick a fancier word than over.
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Head and shoulders above the rest. HEAD AND SHOULDERS is placed above THE REST, giving head and shoulders above the rest.
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37. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The small phrase is not below the big word by accident, its position is the middle of the answer.
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Get to the bottom of it. GET TO sits at the bottom of a large IT, so it reads get to the bottom of it.
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38. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Describe the size of the last word using the adjective lawyers love.
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Read the fine print. PRINT is set in tiny type, so it is fine print: read the fine print.
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39. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
Big type is loud type, compare the volume of the two lines.
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Actions speak louder than words. ACTIONS is printed huge and WORDS tiny, so actions are louder: actions speak louder than words.
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40. Say what you see.
Need a hint?
The copies are decoys, the arrow picks exactly one, name its position in the line.
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The last straw. The arrow points at the final STRAW of four, giving the last straw.
Your score
FAQ about Hard & Tricky Rebus Puzzles
How do you solve a hard rebus puzzle?
Look past the words themselves. Position, size, repetition, direction, and missing letters all carry meaning, so a word printed under another usually means under or below. Say the pieces out loud and the phrase often clicks.
Are answers included for every rebus?
Yes. Tap any card and the solution appears, and the quiz style cards score you instantly. No answer key to scroll for.
How hard are these compared to normal rebus puzzles?
This is the toughest rebus page on the site, built for solvers who found the standard sets too easy. Expect layered tricks where one card combines placement and letter play. Getting half right on a first pass is a solid run.
Cracked these hard ones? Keep the momentum going with our tricky rebus puzzles that twist your brain, then head back to the full rebus puzzle hub to play every category and level.