Position Play
Standard print
Larger print
Read the arrangement
Rebus puzzles to print.
The position, spacing or repetition of a word can suggest a familiar phrase. Look at the whole arrangement and try saying what you see out loud.
Download Letter PDFDownload A4 PDFBrowse all six ready-made examples
How to solve
Each numbered box suggests a familiar English phrase. Read the words and notice where they sit, how often they appear and whether letters have been split, reversed or spaced out. The layout is part of the clue.
Make it your own.
Default example ready: 2 pages, including matching answers.
Position Play · seed paper-1
Text version of the puzzle clues and entries
HEAD HEELS
+--------------+ | | | | | LINE | +--------------+
LINE LINE LINE READ LINE LINE LINE+--------------+ | SECRET | | | | | +--------------+
MIND MATTER
MAN BOARD
Show answers and explanations
Ready when you are
Six examples. A whole collection.
Choose a sheet below or download all six in one starter pack. Packs always use the ready-made paper-1 examples. Preview the page count before printing the whole file.
Letter, standard print · 12 pages · Letter, larger print · 18 pages · A4, standard print · 12 pages · A4, larger print · 18 pages
Repeat Performance
Standard print
Larger print
Space and Change
Standard print
Larger print
Direction Finders
Standard print
Larger print
Inside and Out
Standard print
Larger print
Little Details
Standard print
Larger print
A useful place to start
Describe the arrangement literally first. A word above another might suggest over, while a word inside a boundary might suggest in. Repetition can suggest a number or quantity. Write your intended phrase on the line in the box.
Make the printed page comfortable
These text arrangements print without coloured pictures or large ink-heavy backgrounds. Keep the supplied spacing: copying the words into another font can change the clue. Larger print uses one column and spreads the six questions over two puzzle pages.
About this collection
There are six packs covering position, repetition, spacing, direction, containment and small details. Familiar phrase answers are ordinary language; the layouts and explanations were prepared for this collection. New puzzle changes the order of a chosen pack, not the underlying phrases.
Checking the answers
The answer pages give intended phrases and explain each arrangement. Other sensible interpretations can be discussed; a typographic rebus does not carry a mathematical uniqueness promise.
Choose the paper size that matches your printer and use Actual size or 100 percent. Check the preview for margins and page breaks. Read the print guide or contact us about a puzzle issue.
Something else for your pencil.
Follow the clues
Adult crosswords
A kitchen table, a garden path, a music room: familiar subjects with a fresh set of clues.
Six ready-made examples + answers ↗
Crack a quiet message
Cryptograms
A short original passage is hiding behind a substitution alphabet.
Six ready-made examples + answers ↗
Every word has a place
Word fill-ins
All the words are already on the page.
Six ready-made examples + answers ↗