A rebus uses pictures to symbolize words or parts of words and can be found in word puzzles, riddles, children's literature and the coat of arms used by Europeans to symbolize the pronunciation of noble family names. Rebus were traditionally used during the Middle Ages in heraldic devices to help the largely illiterate population read the name of nobles. A The term derives from the Latin word, "res," which means "thing."
An example of a rebus used in language is the phrase, "I love you," where the word "love" is replaced with the symbol for "heart." Rebus are found in puzzles and riddles, where an image is substituted for a syllable, creating a cryptic formula to solve. An example of this would be the letter "h" followed by the picture of an ear and would translate as the words "hear" or "here."
A rebus rhyme uses a rebus in the place of text as teaching aid for young children learning how to read. This literary device that uses pictures to symbolize syllables in poetic phrases that use rhyming word families. Word families are groupings of words that sound alike and are used to create the grouping of words in phrases that rhyme. The opening lines of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme, "Jack Sprat ate no fat ..." uses the "at" word family to create a phrase using similar-sounding words.
The potential for rebus rhymes as a teaching tool is being explored by educators as a way to train young children how to read by using a rebus in the place of words children have more difficulty identifying and pronouncing. This potential has long been identified by children's authors and songwriters, who use rebus pictograms and rebus rhymes to stimulate children to both read and identify common words by their image and sound.