28 Rebus Puzzles That Are Almost Impossible to Solve
Updated: Apr. 11, 2024
You're going to need a little patience and a good eye to solve these tricky rebus puzzles
Test your smarts with these rebus puzzles
Rebus puzzles, also known as word picture puzzles or picture riddles, use a combination of images and words to convey a phrase or message, typically a common idiom or expression. Just like challenging riddles, these visual puzzles can be pretty tricky. To help you solve these tough brainteasers, make sure to look at word placement, size, color and quantity. Take your time—and don’t give up!
1. Hint: If you solve this rebus puzzle, it might mean you’re lucky.
Answer:Â One in a million
2. Hint: Give this rebus puzzle a whirl.
Answer: Scrambled eggs
Speaking of eggs—try to solve this viral egg riddle.
3. It’s time to solve this tricky puzzle.
Answer: Happy hour
4. Is solving this puzzle too tall an ask?
Answer:Â Eiffel Tower
5. Uh-oh, this is something nobody wants to hear …
Answer:Â You are in trouble
6. Hint: You might use this to greet an old friend.
Answer:Â Long time, no see
7. Hint: If you don’t know how to solve this puzzle, you might be at one of these.
Answer:Â Crossroads
8. Don’t change your mind about solving this puzzle!
Answer: But on second thought
9. Can you guess this one? The color is important!
Answer: Green with envy
If you like these rebus puzzles, you’ll also want to try solving these challenging logic puzzles.
10. Can you solve this puzzle? Hint: Focus on the word here.
Answer: Split pea soup
11. This is one of the rebus puzzles where you need to focus on the placement—and number—of numbers.
Answer: For once in my life
12. Tilt your head to solve this rebus puzzle.
Answer: What goes up must come down
13. How fast can you solve this tricky rebus puzzle? Make sure to take note of the placement of the words.
Answer: Overseas travel
14. You might think this rebus puzzle has something to do with wine, but think again. These rebus word puzzles can be misleading!
Answer: Win with ease
15. Hint: Think of different types of house layouts.
Answer: Split level
16. The answer isn’t “try to stand.” If that’s what you thought, keep guessing.
Answer: Try to understand
17. Clear your brain and think hard about this rebus puzzle. Can you solve it?
Answer: Summer (sum R)
18. We’ll give you a hint to solve this rebus puzzle. What words start with “meta”?
Answer: Metaphor
19. Hmm, what do those numbers mean?
Answer: Safety in numbers
20. First, rearrange the letters to make a real word.
Answer: Trail mix
21. We’ll throw in one of the easier rebus puzzles to give your brain a rest. (The color here matters.)
Answer: Greenhouse
22. Can you figure out why the word “cover” appears four times and the word “head” appears only once?
Answer: Head for cover
23. This one is tricky. What words do you see?
Answer: Go up in smoke
24. This rebus puzzle represents an idiom you might use when you’re happy.
Answer: Sitting on top of the world
25. Notice the shape of this rebus puzzle to help you solve it.
Answer: Street corner
26. Can you decode this one?
Answer: In between jobs
27. Rebus puzzles aren’t easy. If you’ve solved every one so far, that’s super impressive.
Answer: Up for grabs
28. How many of these rebus puzzles did you get right? Guess this last one and finish strong.
Answer: Forgive and forget
Now, challenge your brain a little more by trying to answer these Mensa quiz questions—if you can solve them, you’re probably a genius.
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Reader’s Digest is known for our humor and brain games, including quizzes, puzzles, riddles, word games, trivia, math, pattern and logic puzzles, guessing games, crosswords, rebus, hidden objects and spot-the-difference challenges. We’ve earned prestigious ASME awards for our entertainment content and have produced dozens of brain-teaser books, including Word Searches, Word Power, Use Your Words, Fun Puzzles and Brain Ticklers, Mind Stretchers, Ultimate Christmas Puzzles and more. Our 10 published volumes of Mind Stretchers were edited by Allen D. Bragdon, founder of The Brainwaves Center and editor of Games magazine. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Originally Published: October 29, 2020
