How to play Rebus — free online picture word puzzle game
Two pictures, one hidden word. Smash them together fastest to win.
- Players
- 1–4 (solo too)
- Length
- ~5 min
- Type
- Decode
- Price
- Free
Rebus shows you two small pictures that combine into a single compound word. Sun plus flower is sunflower. That's the whole idea, and it stays satisfying for far longer than it has any right to.
Everyone races the same puzzle, faster solves score more, and wrong guesses cost nothing — so you can keep firing until something clicks.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.
How to play Rebus
The host picks the round count
Eight rounds is the default at 35 seconds each.
Two pictures appear
Drawn as pixel art, side by side, with the answer's letter count shown.
Say them out loud in your head
The pictures are things, and the answer is what you get when you mash their names together.
Type your guess
Wrong guesses are free, so guess early and often.
Faster solves bank more
The reveal shows the answer and who cracked it quickest.
What Rebus looks like
How scoring works
A correct solve banks points scaled by speed, so getting there early is worth substantially more than scraping in.
Wrong guesses cost nothing at all, which makes the optimal strategy to fire constantly rather than wait until you're sure.
Points accumulate across rounds and the highest total wins.
Tips for winning Rebus
- Name both pictures out loud before trying to combine them. Half the difficulty is identifying the second picture.
- Use the letter count. It tells you immediately whether you've got the right pair of words.
- Try the pictures in both orders. The compound isn't always left to right in the way you first read it.
- Guess partial ideas. Wrong answers are free, and typing one often shakes the right one loose.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Rebus?
One to four. It's self-scored so it works solo as a puzzle run.
Do wrong guesses cost points?
No. Guess as often as you like — only speed to the correct answer matters.
How long is a game?
About 5 minutes at the default eight rounds.
Is it free?
Yes, free to play and free to host, and joining needs only the 4-letter code.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.