Game
Rebus Puzzles With Answers
Word picture puzzles to solve: MIND over MATTER, CYCLE CYCLE CYCLE. 253 original rebus puzzles from easy to hard, with hints and answers, a team quiz for the classroom or a party, and printable sheets. No sign-up, no app.
Updated · Free, no sign-up
✓ No sign-up✓ No app to install✓ Free
Say what you see: where the words are, how big, which way up.
Points: 3 without a hint, 2 with the hint, 1 with the first letters. Best streak this session: 0.
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What is a rebus puzzle?
A rebus puzzle hides a word or a saying in the way words and letters are drawn: where they sit, how big they are, which way they face and how many there are. MIND written over MATTER is mind over matter. CYCLE CYCLE CYCLE is a tricycle. The name comes from Latin: a rebus says something “with things” instead of with words.
This page has 253 rebus puzzles with answers, all written for Linguaholic: 90 easy, 114 medium and 49 hard. Solve them one by one with hints, play them as a team quiz, or print them. No sign-up, no account and no app: open the page and play, on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
How to play
Solve
- Look at the puzzle and say out loud what you see: “mind over matter”, “three cycles”, “stairs going up”.
- Type the answer and press Check. Small spelling slips get a “so close”, and a, an and the do not matter.
- Stuck? The first hint is a clue, the second shows the first letter of every word.
- A puzzle solved without a hint is worth 3 points, with the clue 2, with the first letters 1. Solve several in a row for a streak.
- Liked one? Send it to a friend: the link opens the game on that puzzle.
Quiz with teams
For a classroom, a party or game night. Name up to six teams, choose 5, 10 or 20 puzzles and the time per puzzle, and put the page on a big screen. When the time is up or someone shouts the answer, show it and give the point to the team that got it first. The game keeps the score and names the winner.
Choose the level and topics and print 12, 24 or all of them: 12 numbered puzzles a page with a line for each answer, and the answer key on the last page.
Rebus puzzles with answers
How to solve rebus puzzles
Almost every rebus uses one of these tricks. Learn them and most puzzles fall into place.
| Trick | How to read it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Over and under | One word above a line, the other below it: read it as “over” or “under”. | MIND |
| Inside | A word in the middle of another word: “in”. | SPIEKY |
| Repeats | Count the words: three cycles, a pair of dice. | CYCLECYCLECYCLE |
| Direction | Up, down, backwards, upside down or mirrored. | STAIRS |
| Backwards | The letters run the wrong way: back. | KCAP |
| Size | Big, small, tall or thin letters. | DEAL |
| Sounds | Numbers and letters said out loud: 4 = for, U = you, 8 = ate. | TEA42 |
| Split | A word broken in two. | HEART |
| Position | A word raised high or set low. | CHAIR |
| Shapes | Inside a box (square) or a circle (round, around). | MEAL |
| Crossed out | A line through the word: cross. | WALK |
| Missing letters | Something is left off: no end, no head. | LOV |
| Faded | A ghost of a word, or half of one. | TOWN |
| Mixed up | The letters are scrambled. | GSEG |
Two more tips: read the puzzle from top to bottom and left to right, as you would a sentence, and try the little words (in, on, over, under, before, after) between the pieces.
Rebus puzzles with answers
All 253 puzzles of the game, by level. The answers are folded shut so you do not read them by accident: open a level to see the puzzles with their answers.
Easy rebus puzzles with answers (90)
Medium rebus puzzles with answers (114)
Hard rebus puzzles with answers (49)
Easy rebus puzzles for kids
The easy level is made for children who can read short words: directions (upstairs, sit down), sizes (big deal, small world) and numbers and letters (I O U, GR8). In class, put one on the board each morning, or play the team quiz with the easy level only. These are good first ones; the answers are under each puzzle:
Hard rebus puzzles for adults
The 49 hard puzzles hide longer sayings, combine two tricks, or ask you to notice what is missing. Try these first, the answers are folded in the list above:
Holiday rebus puzzles
35 puzzles for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. To play only those, pick Holidays under the puzzle; to print them for a party, open Print and choose Holidays.
Topics
| Topic | For example | Puzzles |
|---|---|---|
| Sayings & idioms | mind over matter, a hole in one | 152 |
| Words | tricycle, upstairs, paradise | 40 |
| Numbers & letters | I O U, GR8, C U L8R | 26 |
| Holidays | Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year | 35 |
Make your own rebus puzzle
- Start from the answer: a saying with a little word in it (in, over, under, up, back) is easiest.
- Turn the little word into a position or a direction: “head in the clouds” becomes HEAD inside CLOUDS.
- Turn numbers and sizes into pictures: “four-wheel drive” is four WHEELs and DRIVE.
- Test it on someone. If you have to explain it, change it.
Is it private?
Yes. The puzzles are part of the page and the game runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere, and there is no account. Scores last until you close the page.
More word games: the Rhyme Game, Hangman and the Charades Generator.
For teachers, bloggers & clubs
Put the Rebus Puzzles on your website
Give your readers this game right on your page. Copy the code, paste it into your site, done: no sign-up, no account.
- Free for any website
- No ads, no cookies
- Fits phones and sidebars
- Always up to date
Please keep the small credit line under the game; you may add rel="nofollow" to its link. How it works & the rules
› Show the code
Frequently asked questions
- What is a rebus puzzle?
- A rebus puzzle shows a word or a saying with the position, size, direction or number of words and letters. MIND written over MATTER is mind over matter; CYCLE CYCLE CYCLE is a tricycle. You solve it by saying out loud what you see.
- How do you solve rebus puzzles?
- Describe the puzzle in plain words: what is over, under or inside what, what is big, small, backwards or upside down, and how many times a word appears. Then look for a phrase you know in that description. Numbers and single letters often stand for words that sound the same: 4 is for, U is you, C is see.
- Are the answers included?
- Yes. Every puzzle has a hint, then the first letters, then the full answer in the game, and all 253 answers are on this page, folded shut by level so you do not read them by accident.
- Can I print rebus puzzles?
- Yes. Open Print, choose the level and topics, and print 12, 24 or all of them: twelve numbered puzzles a page with a line for each answer, and the answer key on the last page.
- Are there rebus puzzles for kids?
- Yes. The easy level has short everyday words and phrases such as upstairs, sit down and big deal, and the numbers-and-letters puzzles (I O U, GR8) are a favorite in class. Every puzzle is family-friendly.
- How can I use them in a classroom or at a party?
- Open Quiz with teams, name up to six teams and put the page on the big screen. Each puzzle has a timer; show the answer and give the point to the team that called it first. The scores add up and the winner is shown at the end.
- Who made these puzzles?
- All of them were written for Linguaholic, and they are drawn from text rather than pictures, so they stay sharp on any screen and when printed.
- Do I need to sign up or download an app?
- No. There is no account and nothing to install. Open the page and play, on a phone, a tablet or a computer. It is free.
About this page
The Rebus Puzzles is a free game from Linguaholic, made by Marcel Iseli. It runs in your browser, with no sign-up. Last updated .
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