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REBUSES.ORG

Rebuses.org logo

Generate and print online rebus puzzles.


Rebus generator

This site allows generating simple rebus puzzles that can be used at school or for entertainment.

Just enter a word or a short phrase in the field below and press the Generate rebus button to generate the rebus puzzle.

Each word will be encoded as a single image. To encode a single word as several images, insert the space into the word (e.g. instead of generator enter gene rator below).



          
          
 

To export the generated rebus as PDF or PNG file use the buttons below


How to use

1To create the rebus puzzle, enter the word or short phrase in the Word or phrase field and press the button.
The created rebus puzzle consists of up to 10 images and rebus decode instructions shown below each image.
Each decode hint may suggest to:
· add a letter, e.g. +A
· remove a letter, e.g. -A
· replace one letter with another, e.g. A=B (replace A with B)
Each word will be encoded as a single image. To encode a single word as several images, insert the space into the word.

2Once the rebus is shown, adjust the words used for rebus creation, pressing the   buttons under each image-encoded word. Words chosen to encode the original phrase are shown above each rebus image.

3To change the images used to represent each keyword, use the   buttons above each image.

4As the last step, save the final rebus as PDF or PNG file using the & buttons.

Images used for rebus creation are released under the Creative Commons CC0 license and may be used freely for almost any purpose - even commercially and in printed format. Attribution is appreciated, but not required.

What is rebus?

According to Wikipedia, a rebus is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "car" might be depicted by a rebus showing a cat next to a minus sign (-) and the letter "t" together with the plus sign (+) and the letter "r".

Rebus in this form was a favorite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames. For example, three salmon (fish) are used to denote the surname "Salmon". A more sophisticated example was the rebus of Bishop Walter Lyhart of Norwich, consisting of a stag (or hart) lying down in a conventional representation of water. The composition alludes to the name, profession or personal characteristics of the bearer, and speaks to the beholder "not by words but by things".

Nowadays, rebuses are not used extensively as a form of heraldic expression (as a hint to the name of the bearer) but are a form of word play or creative puzzle meant to entertain both the person is creating it and the one that is supposed to solve it. The solution to the rebus can be a word, short phrase or a full sentence. Rebus puzzles are also used in advertising to draw attention to the advertisement and generate interest in the advertised product.

Rebuses puzzles were created by many famous people including: Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, François Rabelais, Voltaire or Mark Twain. For example:
Bishop Oldham's rebus Bishop Oldham's owl-dom rebus
Voltaire rebus A rebus sent to Voltaire by Frederick the Great

Rebuses are specific mental entertainment, solving which brings a number of benefits, including:
- development of imagination,
- training memory, perceptiveness, attention,
- consolidating and expanding knowledge on selected issues: nature, society, technology,
- logical association and reasoning training,
- development of creative thinking,
- training in overcoming difficulties.

How to solve rebus puzzles?

When solving the rebus one has to guess the words shown as the picture clues, and then after writing down their meaning together as one phrase - make a division in such a way so that a meaningful solution is formed. In other words: the meanings of the picture clues must first be written together, and the then the string of letters must be cut into new, different words as the solution.
Each puzzle should be read from left to right. The sounds indicated by the pictures are not always direct homophones for the answer, the same applies to spelling, as the spelling of the picture clue might be different from the spelling of the rebus solution.
The need to remove the given letter or letters from the picture clue spelling is indicated with the minus sign (-), the need to add some letters is indicated with the plus sign (+).

There are three actions necessary to successfully solve each rebus puzzle.
- Observe: Perceptivity is essential to solving rebus puzzles. Examine every component of the puzzle, focusing on the picture clues and the theme of the whole puzzle, which may hints about the concealed message.
- Break Down: Rebus puzzles with answers can occasionally appear complicated at first. Divide the puzzle into smaller pieces and attempt to understand each one on its own.
- Associate: Connect the letters or images to common words or phrases based on how they sound or look. This strategy can assist you in making the connections and resolving the challenge.

Examples

Here are some example rebus puzzles created using this site, sorted from the most easy to solve to the most difficult. Clicking on the rebus reveals the answer.

Rebus 2

Rebus 1

Rebus 4

Rebus 6

Rebus 3

Rebus 5

Rebus 8

Rebus 10

Rebus 7

Rebus 9