dingbat

Dingbat is a term used in typography, graphic design, and popular culture with several related but distinct meanings. In its core sense, a dingbat refers to decorative symbols, ornaments, or pictorial glyphs used in typesetting and page design. Historically part of metal type and later included in digital fonts, dingbats encompass bullets, floral borders, arrows, stars, shapes, and other small motifs that embellish text or mark sections of a document. In modern digital typography, the category is often represented by fonts labeled as dingbats or symbols, which provide a ready-made collection of decorative characters.

In puzzles and games, dingbats (also called dingbat puzzles) are a type of word puzzle that uses typography and imagery to encode a common phrase or saying. A puzzle might present arrangement of letters, words stacked or spaced in clever ways, or simple pictures to hint at an expression. Solvers interpret the visual cues to reconstruct the intended phrase. Dingbat puzzles have appeared in newspapers, magazines, and puzzle collections and are closely related to rebus puzzles.

In informal English, dingbat is also a slang term for a foolish or silly person. The word can carry a light, playful tone when used among friends, but it can be insulting in more formal or harsh contexts. Usage and connotations vary by region and era, and in some settings the term may be considered dated.

See also: rebus, symbol, ornament, font, typography, puzzle.