Easy Riddles
Warm up with these simple riddles. Whether you want to ease into tougher riddles or you’re looking for riddles for little ones, these easy riddles are a great way to get started. We’ve included a mix of questions like puns and brainteasers—how many can you answer? Question: How many months have 28 days? Answer: All of them—every month has at least 28 days. Question: What’s something you can catch but not throw? Answer: A cold Question: I go up and down but never move. What am I? Answer: A staircase Question: I live in the sky but fall to the ground. I’m cold and white and make no sound. What am I? Answer: Snow Question: What is full of holes but can still hold water? Answer: A sponge Question: What kind of dog has no tail? Answer: A hot dog Question: I have hands and a face but I can’t clap or smile. What am I? Answer: A clock Explanation: The hands on clocks point to the time, and the face is the front of the clock with the numbers. Question: It belongs to you, but other people use it more. What is it? Answer: Your name Explanation: Even though your name belongs to you, other people use it more when they refer to you. Question: Jamal’s mother has three children: Snap, Crackle, and… ? Answer: Jamal Explanation: If Jamal’s mother only has 3 children, one of them has to be Jamal. Question: I have a head and a tail but no body. What am I? Answer: A coin Explanation: The two sides of a coin are called the head and the tail. Question: If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I? Answer: A promise Explanation: If you don’t keep a promise, it’s called a broken promise. Question: What are the two things you can never have for breakfast? Answer: Lunch and dinner Explanation: You can eat any food you want for breakfast, but if it’s breakfast, it can’t be lunch or dinner. Question: What gets wet as it dries? Answer: A towel Explanation: A towel gets wet when you use it to dry off Question: What can travel around the world but never leaves the corner? Answer: A postage stamp Explanation: Postage stamps are attached to the corner of an envelope—and when they’re mailed, they can go all over the world.
What Has…
These riddles all start with “What has…” Looking for riddles that follow a classic format? This section is for you. These fun riddles are perfect when you want to level up the trivia. Question: What has a ring but no finger? Answer: A telephone Question: What has a bark but no bite? Answer: A tree Explanation: The rough surface on a tree is called the bark, but trees don’t bite. Question: What has wheels and flies but is not an airplane? Answer: A garbage truck Explanation: Garbage trucks frequently attract flies. Question: What has ears but cannot hear? Answer: A cornfield Explanation: Corn grows in ears—but cornfields can’t hear anything. Question: What has legs but doesn’t walk? Answer: A table Explanation: The parts that hold up a table are called the legs. Question: What has 13 hearts but no other organs? Answer: A deck of cards Explanation: The four suits in a card deck are hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit has 13 cards. Question: What has keys but can’t open locks? Answer: A piano Explanation: The part of a piano that you press is called the keys. Question: What has a mouth but can’t speak? Answer: River Explanation: The point where a river joins another body of water is called the mouth. Question: What has one eye but can’t see? Answer: A needle Explanation: The opening at the top of a needle is called an eye
Vocabulary
Test your knowledge with these vocab-themed riddles. These questions if you’re looking for fun extra-credit questions for a classroom quiz or you just want to test your vocabulary. These questions all deal with spelling and vocabulary—can you guess them all? Question: What’s the only word in the dictionary that’s spelled wrong? Answer: Wrong Explanation: No other word in the dictionary is spelled W-R-O-N-G Question: Which word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? Answer: The word short Explanation: Adding the letters “-er” to the word “short” makes it “shorter.” Question: It’s the only place in the world where today comes before yesterday. Where is it? Answer: A dictionary Explanation: Dictionaries are organized in alphabetical order, so the word “today” comes before the word “yesterday.” Question: A railroad crossing without any cars. Can you spell that without any R’s? Answer: T-H-A-T Explanation: This one makes you think you’re supposed to spell “railroad crossing without any cars” without using the letter R, but really you’re supposed to spell “that.” Question: What starts with T, ends with T, and has T inside? Answer: A teapot Explanation: A teapot starts and ends with the letter T and is used to hold tea. Question: What question can never be answered “yes”? Answer: “Are you asleep?” Explanation: If you’re sleeping, you can’t say yes, and if you’re awake, the answer is no. Question: I’m the beginning of everything, eternity, and the end, and the end of time of space. What am I? Answer: The letter E Question: I’m in seconds, minutes, seasons, and centuries, but not in days or years. What am I? Answer: The letter N Question: How many letters are in the alphabet? Answer: 11 Explanation: There are only 11 letters in the phrase “the alphabet.” Question: What word begins and ends with E but only has one letter? Answer: An envelope Explanation: The word “envelope” starts and ends with the letter E, and envelopes are used to hold letters. Question: What starts with “P,” ends with “E,” and has thousands of letters? Answer: Post office Question: What appears once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? Answer: The letter M
Science
Put your STEM skills to the test with these riddles. Math, science, technology, weather—we’ve got it all and then some. Answering these STEM-themed questions is sure to help you feel like a real scientist. Question: I’m not alive, but I can grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. I’m not a plant, but I need water. What am I? Answer: Fire Explanation: Fire grows as it burns. It needs oxygen to continue burning, and it needs water to be put out. Question: I change shape but never disappear. I can be solid, liquid, or gas, and I’m found everywhere. What am I? Answer: Water Explanation: Water can be solid (ice), liquid (water), or gas (steam). It’s found everywhere on the planet, and even if it evaporates, it never really goes away. Question: What goes down but never up? Answer: Rain Explanation: Rain falls down, but in its liquid state, water can’t fall up. Question: Right now it’s midnight and it’s raining. The forecast for the next two days is clear. Will it be sunny in 24 hours? Answer: No Explanation: In 24 hours, it will be midnight again, so it will be dark out. Question: Which is heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers? Answer: Neither Explanation: A ton of bricks and a ton of feathers both weigh the same–a ton! Question: I can fill a room but I take up no space. What am I? Answer: Light Explanation: If you turn on a light or open a curtain, light can fill up a whole room, but light doesn’t take up space. Question: What can run but can’t walk? Answer: Water Explanation: Flowing water is often called running water. Question: Everyone has me but you can only lose me in the dark. What am I? Answer: A shadow Explanation: Everyone has a shadow, but you can’t see them when it’s dark. Question: What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand? Answer: Your right elbow. Question: I can fly without wings. I can cry but don’t have eyes. What am I? Answer: A cloud Explanation: Clouds fly, but they don’t have wings. They rain (or “cry”), but they don’t have eyes. Question: It has keys but no locks and space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go inside. What is it? Answer: A keyboard Explanation: The buttons on a keyboard are called the keys. Keyboards also have a space key and an enter key. Question: I make a loud sound when I’m changing. When I change, I get bigger but I weigh less. What am I? Answer: Popcorn Explanation: Popcorn makes a loud sound when it “changes,” or pops. Also, the kernels get bigger and lighter. Question: What is always in front of you but can never be seen? Answer: The future
Animals & Nature
Quiz yourself on the natural world. Do you love animals, nature, and the great outdoors? Then you’ll love these animal- and nature-themed questions—whether you’re answering them yourself or testing a friend! Can you figure them all out? Question: What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands? Answer: A kangaroo Question: I sleep in the day and fly at night, but I don’t have feathers to help my flight. What am I? Answer: A bat Explanation: Bats are nocturnal and they fly, but they don’t have feathers Question: I can honk without using a horn. What am I? Answer: A goose Question: The alphabet goes from A to Z, but my name goes from Z to A. What am I? Answer: A zebra Question: I have horns but can’t beep, I bleat but I’m not a sheep. What am I? Answer: A goat Question: I have plenty of needles but don’t know how to sew. What am I? Answer: A porcupine Question: I can’t do anything but point, but I lead people all over the world. What am I? Answer: A compass Explanation: The arrow on a compass points north, which helps people navigate. Question: What kind of room has no walls or corners? Answer: A mushroom Explanation: This one is a play on words—a mushroom doesn’t have walls or corners! Question: A rooster is sitting on the west side of a roof facing north. If it lays an egg, which direction will it roll? Answer: Roosters don’t lay eggs
Planets
Test your knowledge of our solar system. Channel your inner astronaut with these fun planetary questions. Or, quiz your favorite astronomy-loving friend. If you can get them all right, you’re really out of this world! Question: I’m your home and the third planet from the Sun. What am I? Answer: Earth Question: I’m the planet with the most rings. What am I? Answer: Saturn Question: I’m red all over because of my dust. What am I? Answer: Mars Question: I’m closest to the Sun, and I’m small and speedy. What am I? Answer: Mercury Question: I’ve got rings and I’m tilted sideways. I’m not Saturn—What am I? Answer: Uranus Question: I’m a gas giant and the biggest planet in our solar system. What am I? Answer: Jupiter Question: I’m the hottest planet even though I’m not closest to the Sun. What am I? Answer: Venus Question: I’m covered in storms that last for hundreds of years. What am I? Answer: Neptune Question: You’ll find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, but not in Venus, Neptune, or Pluto. What am I? Answer: The letter “R.” Question: I’m round, but I’m not a ball. I’m in space, but I’m not a star. I have layers, but I’m not a cake. What am I? Answer: Earth Explanation: Earth is round, in space, and covered in layers that reach deep under the ground’s surface.
Math
Try these riddles if you love tricky word problems. These brain-teasers combine math and riddles, so they’re sure to be challenging (in a fun way). But don’t worry—there’s no long division required. How many can you get right? Question: When Sarah was 6, her sister was half her age. Now Sarah is 10. How old is her sister? Answer: 7 Explanation: Half of 6 is 3, so Sarah’s sister is 3 years younger than her. Now that Sarah is 10, her sister is 3 years younger, or 7 years old. Question: Two fathers and two sons went fishing. Each of them caught a fish—for a total of 3 fish. How is this possible? Answer: There are only 3 people Explanation: It was a grandfather, father, and grandson—two of them are fathers and two of them are sons, but there are only 3 people total. Question: Kayla was 9 the day before yesterday, but next year she’ll turn 12. How can that be? Answer: Today is January 1st and Kayla’s birthday is December 31st Explanation: The day before yesterday (December 30th), Kayla was 9. She turned 10 on December 31st. She’ll turn 11 on December 31st of this year and 12 on December 31st of next year. Question: Mrs. Jia has 5 daughters. Each daughter has a brother. How many children does Mrs. Jia have? Answer: 6 Explanation: Each daughter has the same brother, so Mrs. Jia has 5 daughters and 1 son. Question: What can you put between 7 and 8 to make a number that’s more than 7 but less than 8? Answer: A decimal point Explanation: The number 7.8 is more than 7 but less than 8. Question: What do you need to do to make the equation 801 = 81 x 9 true? Answer: Turn it upside down Explanation: Upside-down, the equation would say 6 x 18 = 108. Question: Double it and multiply it by 4. Then divide it by 8 and you’ll have it once more. What is it? Answer: Any number Explanation: Doubling a number then multiplying it by 4 is the same as multiplying it by 8 (2 x 4). So dividing it by 8 again will give you the original number. Question: What 3 numbers give you the same result when you add them or multiply them together? Answer: 1, 2, and 3 Explanation: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6, and 1 x 2 x 3 = 6. Question: I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What am I? Answer: 7 Explanation: Removing the letter “s” from the word “seven” makes it the word “even.” Question: I’m a 3-digit number that starts with 1. My tens digit is 6 more than my ones digit. My hundreds digit is 7 less than my tens digit. What number am I? Answer: 182. Explanation: The number starts with 1, so the hundreds digit is 1. The hundreds digit is 7 less than the tens digit, so the tens digit has to be 8. The ones digit is 6 less than the tens digit, so it has to be 2. Question: What do the numbers 11, 69, and 88 have in common? Answer: They’re all the same upside-down.
Tricky
These questions are sure to challenge you. If the questions so far have been a piece of cake, try out these extra-hard brain teasers. Only the best of the best will be able to get all of these right—do you have what it takes? Question: If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it? Answer: A secret Explanation: If you keep something to yourself, it’s a secret. Once you share it, it isn’t a secret anymore. Question: What goes away as soon as you talk about it? Answer: Silence Explanation: If you talk about silence, it isn’t silent anymore. Question: I’m very tall when I’m young but I get shorter as I get older. What am I? Answer: A candle Explanation: The longer you burn a candle, the shorter it gets. Question: I’m as light as a feather but no one can hold me for long. What am I? Answer: Breath Explanation: Air isn’t heavy, but it’s hard to hold your breath for long! Question: You’re running a race, and at the end, you pass the person in 2nd place. What place did you finish? Answer: 2nd Explanation: If you’re in 3rd place and you pass the person who’s in 2nd place, you’re now in 2nd place. Question: What can jump higher than a building? Answer: Anything—buildings can’t jump! Question: What goes up but never back down? Answer: Your age Explanation: Your age goes up every year and never comes down. Question: Grandpa went for a walk in the rain and forgot his umbrella. When he got home, his clothes were soaked but his hair wasn’t wet. How? Answer: Grandpa is bald. Question: In a one-story house at the end of the street, the living room was red, the bedrooms were yellow, and the kitchen was blue. What color were the stairs? Answer: It’s a one-story house so there are no stairs. Question: What runs all around the backyard but never moves? Answer: A fence Question: I have cities without houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I? Answer: A map Question: The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? Answer: Footsteps Question: What can go up a chimney down, but not down a chimney up? Answer: An umbrella Explanation: If your umbrella is closed (or down), you can pass it up a chimney. But if it’s open (or up), you can’t put it down a chimney. Question: If an electric train is traveling south, which way is the smoke blowing? Answer: Nowhere—electric trains don’t have smoke.
Silly
Get giggling with these silly riddles. Sometimes, the best riddles are the ones that make you laugh. These funny riddles are sure to get you giggling. Read through them for a laugh, or try them out on your friends to share the fun. Question: In Africa, elephants are called “Lala.” In Asia, elephants are called “Lulu.” What do you call an elephant in Antarctica? Answer: Lost Question: Imagine you’re in a room with no windows or doors. How will you get out? Answer: Stop imagining! Question: What kind of music do bunnies listen to? Answer: Hip-hop Question: I’m orange, wear a green hat, and sound like a parrot. What am I? Answer: A carrot Question: What’s the saddest fruit? Answer: A blueberry Question: What do you get if you cross a snowman and a vampire? Answer: Frostbite Question: What do elves call the ABCs? Answer: The elf-abet Question: What does a ghost use to wash its hair? Answer: Sham-boo Question: What kind of band never plays music? Answer: A rubber band Question: Which one of Santa’s reindeer loves Valentine’s Day? Answer: Cupid Question: What kind of ball doesn’t bounce? Answer: A snowball Question: How do snowmen lose weight? Answer: They wait for warmer weather Question: What tastes better than it smells? Answer: Your tongue Question: What kind of coat should be put on wet? Answer: A coat of paint Question: If you drop a red hat in the Yellow Sea, what does it become? Answer: Wet Question: Why do bees have sticky hair? Answer: They use honeycombs Question: What’s black, white, and blue? Answer: A sad zebra Question: Why are teddy bears never hungry? Answer: Because they’re always stuffed
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