Rebus is a noun for a puzzle in which pictures, symbols, or letters stand for words or parts of words, forming a message to be deciphered. It traditionally uses visual imagery to convey verbal clues, often seen in puzzle magazines or games. The term can also refer to a represented image or symbol that stands in for a syllable or word.
US: rhotic /r/ is pronounced; ensure the /r/ is crisp before the vowel. UK: non-rhotic tendencies may soften /r/; keep the /r/ light or silent in some speakers. AU: vowels are broader; keep the /iː/ steady and the second syllable short. IPA references: US /ˈriː.bəs/, UK /ˈriː.bəs/, AU /ˈriː.bəs/.
"The newspaper featured a challenging rebus, with pictures that hinted at the famous saying."
"She solved the rebus by recognizing that the image of an eye stood for the word ‘I.’"
"The puzzle book includes several rebuses arranged from easiest to hardest."
"In linguistics, a rebus can illustrate how symbols stand for sounds or morphemes within a language."
Rebus comes from the Latin phrase rebus adhibitis picturis, meaning 'by things' or 'with things applied.' The term began to be used in late medieval and early modern contexts to describe devices using pictures to convey words. It later entered print culture as a puzzle form in which imagery substitutes for syllables or words, a practice that predates widespread literacy by appealing to visual reasoning. The modern sense—an actual puzzle using symbols to represent words—emerged in English in the 19th century and has since become common in puzzle books, newspapers, and educational activities. The root rebus is related to the Latin res, rerum meaning “thing” or “matter,” and the preposition adhibitus, “applied.” Over time, the usage broadened to refer both to a method of writing as well as a stand-alone puzzle type, while maintaining the core idea of substitution of images or letters for spoken words.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Rebus" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Rebus" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Rebus"
-bus sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as REE-buhs with two syllables. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈriːbəs/. The first syllable carries stress. In careful speech you’ll articulate the long /iː/ vowel in the first syllable, then a schwa-like or reduced /ə/ in the second, ending with /s/. Audio references: you can compare to ‘rebus’ as in the common puzzle term and listen on pronunciation platforms for the two-syllable rhythm. In connected speech, the second syllable can be quicker, but the two-phoneme sequence remains clear.
Common errors: pronouncing it as a one-syllable word like ‘re-buss’ with a short vowel, or flattening the /ə/ to a full /əː/ without reduction. Correction: maintain the /ˈriː/ onset with a clear long /iː/ as in 'reed,' then a light /bəs/ with a reduced second vowel. Avoid tensing the jaw or truncating the second syllable; aim for /ˈriː.bəs/ with a smooth transition between /iː/ and /b/. Practice with minimal pairs to feel the syllable boundary.
US: /ˈriː.bəs/ with rhotic linking and a clear /r/ onset. UK: /ˈriː.bəs/ but with non-rhotic tendencies in some speakers; vowel quality closer to /iː/ and a softer /r/ or silent /r/. AU: /ˈriː.bəs/ similar to UK, but with Australian vowel qualities: slightly broader vowel and a tighter /ə/ in the second syllable. Across all, the first syllable carries primary stress; the second syllable is unstressed or lightly stressed in rapid speech.
Difficulties include the long /iː/ in the first syllable and the reduced, unstressed second syllable /əs/ or /əs/. The contrast between a tense, long vowel and a short, weak ending can mislead speakers to compress the first vowel or over-articulate the second. Another challenge is maintaining clear /r/ in US and some UK varieties; in non-rhotic accents, /r/ is less pronounced. Practicing with minimal pairs and IPA-focused drills helps solidify the two-syllable rhythm.
A notable feature is the two-syllable rhythm with stress on the first syllable and a concise, lightly stressed second syllable. The sonority sequence /riː/ followed by /bəs/ relies on a crisp /b/ onset and a final /s/ with a soft release. Some vowels shift slightly in rapid speech, but always retain the /ˈriː/ onset, which anchors the word’s pronunciation across dialects.
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