Hard & Tricky Rebus Puzzles
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.
Tricky rebus puzzles drawn in word layouts
Sixteen of these hide a phrase in how the words sit: stacked, sideways, oversized, or barely there. Position is the whole clue.
Emoji rebus puzzles for expert solvers
A dozen emoji codes where two or three little pictures spell one phrase. Say each symbol out loud and listen for the mashup.
Text rebuses and quiz rounds with answers
The tail end mixes typed rebuses like LANG4UAGE with multiple choice and type-in cards. Every answer is one tap away.
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1. What common phrase is this?
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I understand. The letter I sits under the word STAND: I under STAND.
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2. Decode the word placement.
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Mind over matter. MIND is printed over MATTER.
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3. What phrase is hiding here?
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Life after death. Reading left to right, LIFE comes after DEATH.
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4. Read carefully. What is it?
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A backward glance. ECNALG is the word GLANCE written backwards.
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5. What reading habit is this?
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Reading between the lines. The word READING sits between two lines.
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6. Where in a city is this?
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Downtown. The word TOWN goes down, letter by letter.
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7. What dessert is this?
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A banana split. The word BANANA has been split in two.
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8. What place is this?
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A crossroads. Two ROADs crossing each other.
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9. Decode this grim one.
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Six feet under ground. Six FEETs sit under the word GROUND.
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10. What clothing item is this?
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Long underwear. LONG sits under WEAR.
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11. What is a police officer saying here?
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You're under arrest. YOU'RE is printed under ARREST.
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12. What weather word is this?
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A forecast. Four CASTs: fore-cast.
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13. What storybook phrase is this?
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Once upon a time. ONCE sits upon the word TIME.
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14. What office ritual is this?
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A coffee break. There is a break in the middle of the word COFFEE.
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15. What tired look is this?
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Circles under the eyes. Two circles drawn under two i's, which sound like eyes.
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16. How cold is it?
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Three degrees below zero. M.D., Ph.D., and B.A. are three academic degrees, printed below a zero.
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17. 🦶 + 🚪
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What every salesperson wants to get at your house.
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A foot in the door (a foot plus a door).
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18. 👂 + 🪱
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A catchy song that will not leave your head.
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An earworm (ear plus worm).
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19. 🍰 + 🚶
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Another word for a very easy task.
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A cakewalk (cake plus walk).
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20. 📸 + 🧀
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You hear it right before the flash goes off.
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Say cheese (a camera plus cheese).
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21. ⏰ + 🪰
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What time does when you are having fun.
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Time flies (a clock plus a fly).
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22. 🐦 + 🧠
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A teasing name for a scatterbrained person.
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A bird brain (bird plus brain).
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23. 🟢 + 👍
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Good gardeners are said to have one.
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A green thumb (green plus a thumb).
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24. 🐒 + 💼
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A playful phrase for mischief and fooling around.
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Monkey business (a monkey plus a briefcase).
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25. ☁️ + 9️⃣
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It is where very happy people float.
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On cloud nine (a cloud plus the number nine).
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26. ✋ + 🐴
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Someone says it when you rush ahead too fast.
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Hold your horses (a stop hand plus a horse).
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27. 🎉 + 🐾
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The friend who never wants the night to end.
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A party animal (a party popper plus paw prints).
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28. 🥈 + 🥄
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Some people are said to be born with one in their mouth.
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A silver spoon (a silver medal plus a spoon).
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29. Decode this rebus: GIVE GIVE GIVE GIVE GET GET GET GET.
Four GIVEs and four GETs: for-give and for-get.
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30. Decode this rebus: the word ONE printed inside the word MILLION, like MILL(ONE)ION.
The word ONE literally sits in the word MILLION.
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31. Decode this rebus: WHEATHER.
WEATHER is spelled wrong, so it is a bad spell of weather.
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32. Decode this rebus: FUNNY FUNNY WORDS WORDS.
Two FUNNYs and four WORDS: too funny, for words.
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33. Decode this rebus: GET IT GET IT GET IT GET IT.
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Forget it (four GET ITs)
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34. Decode this rebus: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ.
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I'm missing you (the letter U is missing)
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35. Decode this rebus: CHIMADENA. Hint: look for a country.
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Made in China (MADE is hiding inside CHINA)
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36. Decode this rebus: M1Y L1I1F1E.
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For once in my life (there are four number 1s inside MY LIFE)
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37. Decode this rebus: LANG4UAGE.
Need a hint?
Say the number and the word together, out loud.
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A foreign language. The number four sits in LANGUAGE: four in language.
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38. Decode this rebus: 1T3A5S7K9.
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What kind of numbers are 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9?
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An odd task. The letters of TASK sit between the odd numbers.
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39. Decode this rebus: DICE DICE.
Need a hint?
Say what you see out loud: a pair of...
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Paradise. A pair of dice.
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40. Decode this rebus: the word TRAVEL printed above CCCCC.
Need a hint?
Say the letter C out loud. Now look where TRAVEL sits.
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Overseas travel. TRAVEL sits over five C's, and C sounds like sea.
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.
If this set felt like a wall, ease off with Rebus Puzzles for Adults and rebuild your streak. Solved everything? The lateral wordplay in Dingbats (Whatzit) Puzzles is the natural next fight.