Word puzzles
Rebus — rules and where to play
REBUS · Picture puzzle / Visual pun
Words, pictures and symbols arranged by size and position spell a phrase. You read the layout, not just the letters.
- Origin
- 1500 · Italy
- Difficulty
- ★★★★★ 2–4 / 5
- Time
- 5–20 min
- Grid
- Picture + words
- Sites
- 1
Rules
- The answer is hinted by relative position and size of text, pictures and symbols.
- A line through a word means "cross out"; a small word by a big one means "next to"; sounds stand in for words.
- The solution is usually a phrase or idiom, not a single word.
How to start
Read position and size first
"above/below/inside/beside" are almost literal — turn the relation into words.
Note the modifiers
Arrows, slashes, colors and repeats each mean an action or a count.
Say it aloud as a sentence
Stringing the parts into one phrase often lands the answer directly.
Where players get stuck
- Reading the words but not their positions, losing the up/down/left/right cues.
- Taking a homophone as a synonym and getting a near-miss.
Play Rebus
1 siteRelated puzzles
About this page
- Last updated 2026-09-22
- Source Curated compilation of established puzzle rules and listed third-party play sites
- Audience Players learning Rebus rules or looking for online sites to play
- Covers Rules summary, how to start, common pitfalls, and the dedicated play sites listed on this page
- Does not cover Hosted puzzles, worked solutions, official contest rankings, third-party uptime or pricing guarantees
- Not advice This page is puzzle reference content only. It does not constitute financial, legal, medical or other professional advice.
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