What Is a Rebus Puzzle?
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A rebus is a puzzle that hides a word or phrase in the way letters, pictures and symbols are arranged on the page, rather than spelling it out. The word comes from Latin and means by things. For example, MAN printed above BOARD reads as man overboard, because the arrangement itself carries the meaning. This page walks through every classic rebus trick with one solvable example card for each, so you learn the patterns by playing.
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What does rebus mean
The word rebus comes from Latin: it is a form of res, meaning thing, so the name translates roughly as by things. The idea is old. Ancient picture writing already traded drawings for sounds, medieval heraldry hid family names inside punning coats of arms, and by the sixteenth century French puzzle makers were publishing picture riddles known as rebus de Picardie. A rebus says a phrase without spelling it out: it shows the phrase through the position, size, direction or count of words, letters and pictures. MAN printed above BOARD reads as man overboard, because the arrangement itself is the message. That is the whole principle. Anything on the page can carry meaning, from a missing letter to an oversized word, and the puzzle counts on you to notice it and say it out loud.
Rebus puzzle examples by type
Most rebus puzzles fall into a handful of families, and the example cards below cover each one. Position puzzles put one word over, under or inside another, so HANDS printed on DECK reads all hands on deck. Reversal puzzles spell a word backwards, like DESSERTS hiding stressed. Repetition puzzles multiply a word until the count matters: SEASON written four times means the four seasons. Number and letter substitutions swap syllables for sounds, which is how 10SE reads as tense and 4GIVE reads as forgive. Size puzzles print a word huge or tiny, placement puzzles push it to an edge or a corner, and picture puzzles pair small images whose names blend into a new word, the way bee plus leaf makes belief. Learn to recognize these families and unfamiliar rebuses start looking like old friends.
How to solve rebus puzzles
Solving a rebus is mostly the art of describing what you see, literally and out loud. Start with the layout: name which word sits over, under, inside or beside another, because that spatial word is usually part of the answer. Check the letters next: anything missing, repeated, reversed, oversized or squeezed is a clue, not an accident. Then sound everything out. Numbers and letters often stand for syllables, so 8 can carry the sound of ate and B the sound of be. If the puzzle uses pictures, say their names and listen for the blend. Finally, push your literal description toward a common phrase or saying, since almost every rebus answer is an expression people actually use. When you are stuck, swap the word you describe with: over can become on, above or across, and one of them will click.
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1. Position rebus: HANDS|DECK (the word HANDS printed on top of DECK).
Need a hint?
Where is the first word standing?
Show answer
All hands on deck. HANDS literally sits on DECK.
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2. Position rebus: BRIDGE|WATER (the word WATER printed under BRIDGE).
Need a hint?
The saying means an old problem you let go.
Show answer
Water under the bridge. WATER sits below BRIDGE.
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3. Reversal rebus: DESSERTS. Read it the other way.
Need a hint?
Start from the last letter.
Show answer
Stressed. DESSERTS spelled backwards is STRESSED.
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4. Repetition rebus: SEASON SEASON SEASON SEASON.
Need a hint?
Count how many times the word shows up.
Show answer
The four seasons. The word appears four times.
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5. Number rebus: 10SE.
Need a hint?
Say the number out loud, then finish the word.
Show answer
Tense. The number ten starts the word: 10-SE.
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6. Position rebus: the word DOWN printed at the top and the word UP printed at the bottom.
Need a hint?
Each word is exactly where the other belongs.
Show answer
Upside down. The two words traded places.
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7. Placement rebus: the word OUT printed far off to the left edge.
Need a hint?
Which side of the page is it hugging?
Show answer
Left out. The word OUT sits way out on the left.
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8. 🐝 + 🍃
Need a hint?
The pictures spell a sound, not a thing.
Show answer
Belief (bee + leaf). Say the pictures out loud.
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9. ⭐ + 🐟
Need a hint?
Two pictures add up to one sea creature.
Show answer
A starfish (star + fish).
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10. 🌊 + 👋
Need a hint?
One word works for both pictures.
Show answer
A wave. The sea and a hello share one word.
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11. The rebus 🍞 + 🏆 decodes to which word?
Bread plus a winner's trophy makes breadwinner, the person who earns the family income.
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12. Decode this rebus and type the answer: 🌧️ + ✔️ (a promise to do it later)
Show answer
A rain check
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13. Container rebus: what phrase is hiding in this picture?
Show answer
The apple of my eye. The word APPLE sits inside a drawn eye, so it is the apple of the eye.
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14. Size rebus: what does this picture puzzle say?
Show answer
A big deal. The word DEAL is printed huge, so it is a big deal.
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15. The word rebus comes from Latin and roughly means 'by things'.
Rebus is a form of the Latin word res, meaning thing. A rebus tells a phrase by things, that is, by pictures instead of letters.
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16. Rebus puzzles were invented in the 20th century.
Picture writing that trades images for sounds is ancient, and rebus riddles were already popular in 16th century France. Newspapers and game shows only made them famous again.
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17. Cross-out rebus: the word ROADS with a large X drawn straight through the middle of it.
Show answer
Crossroads.
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18. Position rebus: the letters STAND printed on top of a single capital letter I.
Show answer
I understand.
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19. Position rebus: the word MIND printed directly above the word MATTER.
Show answer
Mind over matter.
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20. Position rebus: the word HEAD printed directly above the word HEELS.
Show answer
Head over heels.
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21. Reversal rebus: the word GLANCE printed backwards as ECNALG.
Show answer
Backward glance.
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22. Repetition rebus: the word CYCLE printed three times in a row.
Show answer
Tricycle.
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23. Letter and number rebus: the sequence NE1410S.
Show answer
Anyone for tennis.
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24. Stacked rebus: the number 0, and printed below it the abbreviations M.D., Ph.D. and B.A.
Show answer
Three degrees below zero.
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25. Sequence rebus: the run of letters HIJKLMNO.
Show answer
Water.
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26. Number rebus: the word MILLION printed with the numeral 1 standing inside it.
Show answer
One in a million.
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27. Position rebus: the word EGGS printed directly above the word EASY.
Show answer
Eggs over easy.
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28. Repetition rebus: the word HISTORY printed twice, one copy right after the other.
Show answer
History repeats itself.
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29. Letter rebus: the letter C printed seven times in a row, CCCCCCC.
Show answer
The seven seas.
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30. Repetition rebus: the letter I printed four times in a row, I I I I.
Show answer
Four eyes.
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31. Insertion rebus: the word POND with the word FISH dropped into the middle, spelling PO-FISH-ND.
Show answer
A fish in the pond.
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32. Stacked rebus: the word GROUND, and printed below it the word FEET repeated six times.
Show answer
Six feet underground.
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33. Size rebus: the word WORLD printed in tiny, minuscule letters.
Show answer
A small world.
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34. Position rebus: the word ARREST printed directly above the word YOU'RE.
Show answer
You're under arrest.
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FAQ about What Is a Rebus Puzzle?
What is a rebus puzzle?
A rebus puzzle is a riddle that represents a word or phrase with pictures, letters and word placement instead of plain spelling. MAN printed above BOARD reads man overboard. You solve it by describing what you literally see.
How do you solve a rebus puzzle?
Describe the layout out loud: what sits over, under or inside what, which word repeats, what is big, small or backwards. Turn that description into a phrase. If you are stuck, sound out pictures and numbers, because many rebuses work by ear.
Where does the word rebus come from?
From Latin: rebus is a form of res, meaning thing, so it translates as by things. Picture riddles under that name were popular in France by the 16th century, long before puzzle magazines picked them up.
Now that you know how a rebus works, put it to the test with our collection of easy rebus puzzles for beginners, then browse the full rebus puzzle hub for hundreds more brain teasers to decode.