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Rebus

Heraldic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A heraldic device using pictures to represent a name through pun or sound.

Detailed Definition
A rebus links imagery and language, merging sound and symbol. Poets embrace it as emblem of wit and layered meaning—how names and identities form through metaphor, allowing playful self-inscription and the fusion of visual and verbal art.
Example
Example in poetry:
The rebus of Bishop Tunstall—a tun and a still—played words in visual heraldry; “My rebus: pen and flame,” the poet crafted a personal emblem of craft and passion; In Renaissance verse, rebuses turned names into riddles of identity; The poet saw his initials as a rebus, hidden in plain sight on the page; Rebuses teach poets how image and sound can merge in symbolic shorthand.
Additional Notes
Rebus is a visual pun using heraldic charges to represent a name or motto (e.g., “Castle” arms showing a castle); common in medieval and Renaissance heraldry; in poetry, rebuses add wit, layered meaning, or personal signature—Shakespeare’s “spear” rebus is famous; they bridge visual art and linguistic play, ideal for ekphrastic or emblematic verse.
Also Known As
Heraldic pun Canting device
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