Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'riː.bəs/

REBUS

What does "REBUS" mean?

A puzzle in which words are represented by pictures, letters, or symbols.

Meanings

  1. A coded message or puzzle using images and symbols to suggest the syllables or words of a phrase. The greeting card used a rebus: an eye, a heart, and the letter U.

Did you know?

  • A rebus literally means 'by things' in Latin - and the same trick survives in modern texting, where 'gr8' and the eye-heart-U emoji string are rebuses your phone helps you write.

Word origin

From Latin 'rebus' (by things), the ablative plural of 'res' (thing); the idea is representing words 'by means of things' shown as pictures.

Remember it

REBUS sounds like 'real bus' minus the L - picture a puzzle where a drawing of a BUS stands for the sound 'bus'.

A little poem

An eye, a heart, a single letter U-
no sentence written, yet the whole thing speaks:
meaning smuggled past the alphabet.

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Wordplay

  • I tried to read the rebus out loud, but it only made sense to the eye.

What it teaches

Meaning does not need words; a picture in the right place can carry a whole sentence.

Quick facts

What does REBUS mean?

A puzzle in which words are represented by pictures, letters, or symbols.

Is REBUS a valid word?

Yes — REBUS is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is REBUS?

REBUS has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does REBUS come from?

From Latin 'rebus' (by things), the ablative plural of 'res' (thing); the idea is representing words 'by means of things' shown as pictures.

What can REBUS teach us?

Meaning does not need words; a picture in the right place can carry a whole sentence.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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