Rebus puzzles printable
A word can sit above another word, stretch across a space or appear more than once. In these twelve rebus puzzles, that arrangement is the clue to a familiar phrase. Print the puzzles for a pencil-and-paper round, then open a hint when you want a nudge.
Two puzzle pages in each free PDF, with no account or email needed. The optional hints and full explanations are separate downloads below. These are fixed printables for writing by hand.
Look at how the words are arranged
Each numbered picture stands for a word or phrase. Read the printed words, then describe what is unusual about them: where they sit, how large they are or how often they appear. Try saying that description aloud. The phrase may come from the relationship between the words rather than their ordinary sentence order.
Keep the sheet upright while solving. Size and position carry meaning, but color doesn’t: the puzzles work in black and white. A printed number identifies the puzzle and its matching hint; it isn’t part of the visual clue.
Try the worked example first
The hint sheet includes this example, separate from the twelve puzzles. Learning how it works doesn’t give away one of their answers.
Read the worked example and explanation
A full-size A followed by a very small EXTRA.
A little extra. A is shown normally; EXTRA is little. Read the size as part of the phrase.
You don’t need a special code or a substitution alphabet. If a phrase is unfamiliar, the picture alone may not be enough to bring it to mind. Use the hint or read the explanation, then return to the arrangement to see how it fits.
Choose a hint before the full answer
The numbered hints point to a visual feature without naming the whole phrase. The answer explanations connect that feature to the intended wording. Keep both files aside while solving, or use the individual reveals below to avoid seeing help for the next puzzle.
The hint file is one page; the explained answer file is two pages. Puzzle numbers match across all three downloads.
Preview the hint sheet (reveals the visual clues)
Preview both explanation pages (reveals answers)
Puzzle 1
Describe puzzle 1 in text
Three copies of PAIN increase in size from left to right.
Show puzzle 1’s hint
Compare the size of the same word each time.
Show puzzle 1’s answer and explanation
Growing pains. There is more than one PAIN, and each one is growing larger.
Also accepted: Pains are growing.
Puzzle 2
Describe puzzle 2 in text
ATTEN and TION sit on opposite sides of a dividing line.
Show puzzle 2’s hint
Join the two pieces, then describe what the line does.
Show puzzle 2’s answer and explanation
Divided attention. The word ATTENTION is divided into two pieces by a line.
Also accepted: Split attention.
Puzzle 3
Describe puzzle 3 in text
Eight letter tiles read S G E F I E N L.
Show puzzle 3’s hint
The letters are not in their usual order. They spell one word.
Show puzzle 3’s answer and explanation
Mixed feelings. The letters of FEELINGS have been mixed up. Both E tiles belong in the word.
Also accepted: Jumbled feelings.
Puzzle 4
Describe puzzle 4 in text
The small word KEEP is inside the O of a large TOUCH.
Show puzzle 4’s hint
Notice which word contains the other word.
Show puzzle 4’s answer and explanation
Keep in touch. KEEP sits inside one letter of TOUCH: KEEP is in TOUCH.
Also accepted: Stay in touch.
Puzzle 5
Describe puzzle 5 in text
J and U run upward beside a right-angle corner; S and T continue across its top.
Show puzzle 5’s hint
Read the letters in order as they follow the bend.
Show puzzle 5’s answer and explanation
Just around the corner. The letters of JUST travel around a drawn corner.
Also accepted: Just round the corner.
Puzzle 6
Describe puzzle 6 in text
U and S are separated by a very wide blank space.
Show puzzle 6’s hint
Read the two letters together, then notice what separates them.
Show puzzle 6’s answer and explanation
Space between us. U and S spell US, with a large space between them.
Also accepted: A space between us.
Puzzle 7
Describe puzzle 7 in text
Two copies of HOPE sit very high in an otherwise empty frame.
Show puzzle 7’s hint
There is more than one hope. Where are they in the frame?
Show puzzle 7’s answer and explanation
High hopes. The plural hopes are placed high up inside their frame.
Also accepted: Hopes are high.
Puzzle 8
Describe puzzle 8 in text
Two copies of FEET are placed at the far left of a wide frame.
Show puzzle 8’s hint
Count the words, then notice which side they occupy.
Show puzzle 8’s answer and explanation
Two left feet. There are two FEET, and both sit at the left edge of the frame.
Also accepted: Two feet on the left.
Puzzle 9
Describe puzzle 9 in text
The word OVERDUE is stretched horizontally across the frame.
Show puzzle 9’s hint
Look at the proportions of the letters, not just the word.
Show puzzle 9’s answer and explanation
Long overdue. OVERDUE has been stretched to make it unusually long.
Also accepted: Overdue for a long time.
Puzzle 10
Describe puzzle 10 in text
The letters of ASLEEP descend in a staircase from upper left to lower right.
Show puzzle 10’s hint
Read along the falling letters.
Show puzzle 10’s answer and explanation
Falling asleep. ASLEEP falls lower with each letter.
Also accepted: Fall asleep.
Puzzle 11
Describe puzzle 11 in text
SCISAB appears in one line.
Show puzzle 11’s hint
Read the letters from the other end.
Show puzzle 11’s answer and explanation
Back to basics. BASICS is written backward, so you go back to read BASICS.
Also accepted: Backwards basics.
Puzzle 12
Describe puzzle 12 in text
SAFETY sits inside an oval made from digits.
Show puzzle 12’s hint
What kind of symbols surround the word?
Show puzzle 12’s answer and explanation
Safety in numbers. SAFETY is inside a ring of numbers. The digits are the enclosure.
Also accepted: Safety surrounded by numbers.
If someone offers different wording that explains the whole picture, compare it with the explanation rather than counting it wrong for missing an exact word. Rebus puzzles can support more than one reading. The intended answers are a way to discuss the clues, not a reason to reject a defensible phrase.
Print the puzzles and keep the help separate
Choose US Letter for 8.5 × 11-inch paper or A4 for 210 × 297-millimeter paper. Use portrait orientation and Actual size or 100% in the print dialog. The page images above are previews; use the PDFs for printing.
For a shared round, give each person or pair a puzzle copy and a pencil. Read a requested hint aloud so everyone gets the same clue. You can also work together on one sheet and talk through each answer without keeping score.
The hints and answers are separate files, so you can leave them on a phone instead of printing them. If you do print them, use single-sided pages and keep the answers face down until you’re ready to check.
Save a word-puzzle round
A different clue for the next round
For a letter-by-letter decoding activity, try the cryptogram puzzles with staged hints. To make a puzzle from words you choose, use the word search maker.
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