Hint: Notice the location.
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Corner store — STORE is tucked into the lower-right corner of the card.
Original word-picture cards
36 printable rebus puzzles with answers
Solve six sheets of original visual wordplay, then check every phrase with a miniature card and a plain-English explanation. Separate true-size Letter and A4 downloads are ready below.
36 puzzles3 levels6 clue families12 PDF pages
Choose how far sideways to think
WARM-UPS · 1–12
One visible move
Start with direct position, size, repetition, and broken-word clues.
PATTERN SPOTTERS · 13–24
Combine two clues
Follow crossings, arrows, boundaries, and interacting word layouts.
LATERAL THINKERS · 25–36
Interpret the scene
Read clocks, shadows, interrupted lines, order, and distance.
Preview and choose a puzzle or answer page
Choose a page from the actual PDF contents. The links open the complete 12-page file at your selection when supported by your PDF viewer; they are not separate single-page files.
In the print dialog, enter page 1 to print only that page. Some pages contain more than one puzzle or answer.
The actual PDF preview loads when this panel is visible.
High-contrast preview: actual US Letter page 1, Printable Rebus Puzzles - Sheet 1. Open the PDF for full-size printing. The interactive viewer can display every original page.
Open this page in the full-size PDF
Ready-to-print collection
Download all 36 rebus puzzles
Pages 1–6 contain the activity cards. Pages 7–12 contain matching answers and explanations. No signup and no watermark.
Choose your paper sizeDownload US Letter PDFDownload A4 PDFPrint at 100% or Actual Size.
Try six cards from the final pack
The answer stays closed until you choose to reveal it.
Hint: Check the edge.
Show answer
Side effect — EFFECT is turned and placed along the side of the card.
Hint: Find what occupies the center.
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Center of attention — ATTENTION sits at the center of a target-like circle.
Hint: Two identical routes meet.
Show answer
Crossing paths — One PATH crosses another at the center.
Hint: Search the repeated material.
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A needle in a haystack — NEEDLE is hidden among a stack of HAY labels.
Hint: Watch the baseline.
Show answer
Breaking new ground — NEW breaks through the line representing the ground.
All 36 printable rebus puzzles
| Puzzle | Band | Clue family | Activity | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-Ups | Boundaries | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Warm-Ups | Position | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Warm-Ups | Position | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Warm-Ups | Scale | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Warm-Ups | Scale | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | Warm-Ups | Position | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | Warm-Ups | Repetition | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Warm-Ups | Direction | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Warm-Ups | Direction | 2 | 8 |
| 10 | Warm-Ups | Interruption | 2 | 8 |
| 11 | Warm-Ups | Repetition | 2 | 8 |
| 12 | Warm-Ups | Interruption | 2 | 8 |
| 13 | Pattern Spotters | Position | 3 | 9 |
| 14 | Pattern Spotters | Repetition | 3 | 9 |
| 15 | Pattern Spotters | Direction | 3 | 9 |
| 16 | Pattern Spotters | Scale | 3 | 9 |
| 17 | Pattern Spotters | Direction | 3 | 9 |
| 18 | Pattern Spotters | Position | 3 | 9 |
| 19 | Pattern Spotters | Interruption | 4 | 10 |
| 20 | Pattern Spotters | Direction | 4 | 10 |
| 21 | Pattern Spotters | Position | 4 | 10 |
| 22 | Pattern Spotters | Boundaries | 4 | 10 |
| 23 | Pattern Spotters | Position | 4 | 10 |
| 24 | Pattern Spotters | Boundaries | 4 | 10 |
| 25 | Lateral Thinkers | Boundaries | 5 | 11 |
| 26 | Lateral Thinkers | Boundaries | 5 | 11 |
| 27 | Lateral Thinkers | Position | 5 | 11 |
| 28 | Lateral Thinkers | Position | 5 | 11 |
| 29 | Lateral Thinkers | Interruption | 5 | 11 |
| 30 | Lateral Thinkers | Direction | 5 | 11 |
| 31 | Lateral Thinkers | Scale | 6 | 12 |
| 32 | Lateral Thinkers | Interruption | 6 | 12 |
| 33 | Lateral Thinkers | Boundaries | 6 | 12 |
| 34 | Lateral Thinkers | Boundaries | 6 | 12 |
| 35 | Lateral Thinkers | Direction | 6 | 12 |
| 36 | Lateral Thinkers | Boundaries | 6 | 12 |
How to read a rebus
Describe the layout before guessing the phrase. Ask what is high, low, repeated, stretched, turned, interrupted, enclosed, or squeezed.
PositionAbove, below, beside, behind, or centered.
RepetitionCopies can mean two, many, or a group.
ScaleSize and spacing can become words.
DirectionRotation, slope, crossing, and arrows matter.
InterruptionBreaks, gaps, and cut lines carry meaning.
BoundariesLook inside, outside, between, or against.
Answer guide with decoding notes
Use these after solving. Each note accounts for the visual relationship, not just the printed letters.
Answers 1–6
- 1. Corner store
STORE is tucked into the lower-right corner of the card. - 2. High tide
TIDE is printed unusually high on the card. - 3. Low profile
PROFILE sits unusually low on the card. - 4. Long weekend
WEEKEND has been stretched into a long word. - 5. Small change
CHANGE is printed very small. - 6. Side effect
EFFECT is turned and placed along the side of the card.
Answers 7–12
- 7. Two left feet
Two copies of FEET appear on the left side. - 8. Standing ovation
The letters of OVATION stand in one vertical column. - 9. Falling asleep
The letters of ASLEEP fall lower as they cross the card. - 10. Broken promise
PROMISE is visibly broken into PROM and ISE. - 11. Circle of friends
Six FRIEND labels form a circle. - 12. A line in the sand
A visible line runs through the word SAND.
Answers 13–18
- 13. Center of attention
ATTENTION sits at the center of a target-like circle. - 14. Double vision
VISION appears twice with a small offset. - 15. Mixed emotions
The letters in EMOTIONS tilt in alternating directions. - 16. Growing concern
CONCERN grows larger each time it appears. - 17. Change of direction
The path after CHANGE makes a clear turn. - 18. Crossing paths
One PATH crosses another at the center.
Answers 19–24
- 19. A break with tradition
BREAK interrupts the middle of TRADITION. - 20. Point of view
An arrow points directly at VIEW. - 21. Under pressure
PRESSURE sits under three heavy downward arrows. - 22. Open secret
SECRET is inside a box whose top has been left open. - 23. Backseat driver
DRIVER follows the larger word SEAT in the reading direction. - 24. No room to move
MOVE is trapped tightly between two walls with no room around it.
Answers 25–30
- 25. A needle in a haystack
NEEDLE is hidden among a stack of HAY labels. - 26. One step at a time
One STEP appears inside a simple clock face, placing one step at a time. - 27. The last word
WORD appears at the farthest end of the reading line. - 28. Worlds apart
Two WORLD labels are placed far apart. - 29. No strings attached
The strings stop short of ATTACHED on both sides. - 30. Out of order
The letters of ORDER are printed in the wrong order.
Answers 31–36
- 31. A shadow of doubt
DOUBT casts a gray offset shadow. - 32. Breaking new ground
NEW breaks through the line representing the ground. - 33. The writing on the wall
WRITING is printed directly on the outlined WALL. - 34. Inside information
INFORMATION is literally inside a box. - 35. A turn for the better
The arrow takes a turn and ends at BETTER. - 36. A close call
CALL is squeezed closely between two brackets.
How this set was checked
36 unique answers
No answer repeats inside this pack.
36 render signatures
Every visual specification is distinct.
All elements bounded
Text, lines, shapes, and arrows stay inside the card.
Explained answers
Every intended phrase includes its decoding reason.
Frequently asked questions
Are the answers included?
Yes. Pages 7–12 contain matching answer sheets with a miniature card, answer, and explanation.
Are rebus puzzles the same as dingbats?
The terms overlap in everyday puzzle use. Both commonly describe visual word-and-layout puzzles that encode a familiar expression.
Do Letter and A4 contain the same puzzles?
Yes. Both editions contain the same 36 cards and answers; only the true paper dimensions and spacing differ.
What if another answer seems possible?
Check whether it explains every visual feature. The intended answer accounts for the wording, placement, and all shape or direction clues.
Can I use these without printing?
Yes. The page previews are real vector cards with answer reveals, and the PDF pages can also be displayed on a screen.
How is difficulty assigned?
Warm-Ups use one direct transformation, Pattern Spotters combine clues, and Lateral Thinkers use more indirect relationships.