2,062 Easy Riddles With Answers - page 6 of 21
Searing 'cross the pitch-black skies, I scream in celebration, Yet moments later, my outburst through, I am naught but imagination.
A firework streaks into the night sky and bursts with a celebratory "scream" (whistle and bang), but once its brief display fades, all that remains is the memory of the show.
Many shapes, many sizes. Can't be seen, only felt. I bring pain, I bring joy, I bring laughter, I bring happiness. I can tear the mightiest from their thrones, and those who have me are rich. What am I?
Love cannot be seen or touched but produces the strongest emotions imaginable, has toppled kings and empires throughout history, and having it makes anyone feel "rich" regardless of material wealth.
Half of the population uses me, and you lose me all the time. I'm small and yellow, black, brown or silver. You use me to hold things up. What am I?
Bobby pins are small metal hair fasteners used mostly by women, constantly lost, and made in colors like black, brown, or silver to blend into hair.
I am one of many, You forget I'm here, but I'm just below. Without me, you'd surely topple, Go ahead, what am I?
Toes are often overlooked, positioned at the front of your feet, yet they play an important role in balance -- without them, you'd more easily topple over.
I have a leg but I do not move, A face but no expression, Be it wind or rain I stay outside. What am I?
A scarecrow has a single supporting pole ("leg"), a stitched or painted "face" without real expression, and stands outdoors in all weather to guard a field.
As beautiful as the setting sun, As delicate as the morning dew; An angel's dusting from the stars, That can turn the Earth into a frosted moon. What am I?
Snow is often poetically described as beautiful, delicate, and star-like as it dusts the earth, transforming the ground into a bright, moon-like white landscape.
Looks like water, but it's heat. Sits on sand, lays on concrete. People have been known, To follow it everywhere. But it gets them no place, And all they can do is stare.
A mirage is an optical illusion caused by heat that looks like water on sand or pavement; anyone chasing it can never actually reach it.
I have one eye, See near and far, I hold the moments you treasure, And the things that make you weep.
A camera has one "eye" (its lens), captures scenes near and far, and preserves cherished or sorrowful moments as photographs.
On the wall, in the air, You just want me out of your hair, Try to catch me, but you cannot, For my vision is thousand fold. What am I?
A housefly buzzes around your head and hair, is maddeningly hard to swat thanks to its wide field of vision from compound eyes.
What has everything inside it? Everything you can imagine even god, wind, world, sky, heaven, earth and everything that comes to your mind?
Every word for every concept, including 'god,' 'wind,' and 'world,' is spelled using only the letters of the alphabet, so in a sense it contains everything nameable.
No head has he but he wears a hat. No feet has he but he stands up straight. On him perhaps a fairy sat, weaving a spell one evening late!
A toadstool has a rounded cap like a hat and stands upright on a stalk with no head or feet, and folklore often shows fairies perched on one.
I dig out tiny caves, and store gold and silver in them. I also build bridges of silver and make crowns of gold. They are the smallest you could imagine. Sooner or later everybody needs my help, yet many people are afraid to let me help them. Who am I?
A dentist works in tiny tooth 'cavities' filled with gold or silver, builds dental bridges and crowns, and is a professional almost everyone eventually needs but many fear visiting.
What goes up, but at the same time goes down? Up toward the sky, and down toward the ground. Its present tense and past tense too, come for a ride, just you and me!
A seesaw sends one end up while the other goes down at the same time, and 'saw' is also the past tense of 'see' - a classic playground wordplay riddle.
I am good at concealing what's real and hide what's true. Sometime, I bring out the courage in you! What am I?
Makeup can cover blemishes and hide someone's natural appearance, but it can also boost confidence, giving the wearer courage to feel and look their best.
A necessity to some, a treasure to many, I'm best enjoyed among pleasant company. Some like me hot, some like me cold. Some prefer mild, some like me bold. What am I?
Coffee is essential to many people's mornings, enjoyed socially, and can be served hot or iced, in mild or bold roasts to suit any taste.
An utensil used for bread. Also a paper cutter. Used by a thug to take a life, Or wielded by the tamest wife, When used to spread the butter.
A knife slices bread, cuts paper, can be a weapon in the wrong hands, and is just as often a harmless kitchen tool for spreading butter.
I'm tall in the morning and short in the noon. I disappear at night but I will be back soon.
A shadow stretches long at sunrise, shrinks short around noon when the sun is overhead, and vanishes after dark -- only to return again the next day.
Small, containing light, You'll need it in the dark, It will provide that spark, and shine into the night. Will light up any pyre, 'Cause it can help make a fire.
A lighter is small, throws off a spark and flame to see by in the dark, and can be used to ignite anything from a candle to a bonfire pyre.
I am found by the ocean and offer you a bed. Whether you want me or not, to your house I am led? What am I?
Sand covers ocean beaches and provides a place to lie down and relax, and no matter how careful you are, it inevitably tags along home in your shoes, clothes, and bags.
Violet, indigo, blue and green, yellow, orange and red; these are the colors you have seen after the storm has fled. What am I?
A rainbow displays all seven colors of the spectrum and typically appears in the sky right after a rain storm passes.
The land was white the seed was black. It'll take a good scholar to riddle me that.
This old riddle describes writing: the white page is the 'land' and the black ink letters are the 'seed' planted upon it, something a scholar must 'riddle out' by reading.
Ancient and majestic, great big piles of stones, Used to encase both riches and bones. Seen from certain angles, They look like big triangles.
Egyptian pyramids are massive stone structures built to entomb pharaohs along with their treasures, and viewed from the side they form a clear triangular silhouette.
It is a symphony of noise, It can produce both grief and joys, It is inspiring and grand, Made by a person or a band.
Music can be an organized blend of sounds that stirs both sorrow and happiness, ranging from grand orchestral works to a single performer's tune.
Given them to the girls whenever, And they'll be best friends forever. Shiny, pretty stones, Bought with massive loans.
Diamonds are famously "a girl's best friend," and their sparkling beauty comes at a steep price, often financed with a hefty loan.
It can be in a hat, Or out of the bag. If you see it you'll be smitten, 'Cause it's fluffy like a mitten. What is it?
This plays on the idioms "cat in the hat" and "letting the cat out of the bag," while describing a real fluffy cat soft enough to compare to a mitten.
It keeps something that cannot be kept, And wakes you when you've slept. It may go slow or stop at times, But even then it chimes.
A clock tracks time even though time itself can never truly be "kept," it wakes sleepers with an alarm, and even a clock running slow or stopped can still chime the hour.
Though my beauty is becoming I can hurt you just the same; I come in many colors; I am what I am by any other name.
A rose is beautiful but its thorns can prick you, it blooms in many colors, and the riddle nods to Shakespeare's famous line that a rose "by any other name would smell as sweet."
I give people a huge fright, but at the end I'm sweet. I normally celebrate at night, when there's less heat. What am I?
Halloween is full of scary costumes and frights, but ends with sweet treats collected from trick-or-treating, celebrated after dark on a cool autumn night.
Shared between two; Most often to woo; Sometimes hot and sometimes cold; The beginning of us all, young and old.
A kiss is exchanged between two people, often as part of romance, can feel passionate ("hot") or gentle ("cold"), and a first kiss often marks the start of a relationship.
A wonderful elixir, It is your fluid fixer. Gulp it down and turn like a concrete mixer. Dark as night and sweet as sin, It's like liquid heroin.
Coffee is dark, often sweetened, gives an energizing jolt, and is famously described as an addictive "fixer" that keeps people going.
A mysterious, fantastic creature, It has one defining feature, And for humans at their worst, In their eyes it's just a horse.
A unicorn is a magical creature defined by its single horn, but to a cynic or unbeliever, it's dismissed as nothing more than an ordinary horse.
My mother is water and my brother the sky. I am grey when wet but white when dry. What am I?
A cloud forms from evaporated water (its "mother") and floats in the sky (its "brother"), appearing dark grey when heavy with rain and bright white when fluffy and dry.
Without me where would you be? I am not your eyes, but I help you see. What am I?
Light isn't your eyes, but without it your eyes have nothing to see by -- it's the essential ingredient that makes vision possible at all.
I live next to beauty trying to catch your eye. Grab me without looking, and you're surely to cry. What am I?
A thorn grows right alongside a beautiful flower like a rose, and if you reach for the bloom without care, you'll grab the thorn instead and get a painful prick.
Before I grow I'm small. When I'm old I grow tall. When I die I give a mighty fall. What am I?
A tree starts as a tiny seedling, grows tall over decades, and when it finally dies or is felled, it comes crashing down in one mighty fall.
You roll it or you buy it, People say you shouldn't try it, Because you may get a stroke, From inhaling all that smoke.
Cigarettes can be hand-rolled or bought pre-made, and health warnings caution against smoking because inhaling the smoke raises the risk of stroke and other illness.
My tail is long, my coat is brown, I like the country, I like the town. I can live in a house or live in a shed, And I come out to play when you are in bed.
A mouse has a long tail and brown fur, can be found in both rural and urban settings, and is famously nocturnal, scurrying about once the house has gone quiet.
In the evening I'm long, in the morning I'm small; When seen in a ballroom, I'm nothing at all.
Your shadow stretches long in the low light of evening, shrinks small under the high midday sun, and disappears entirely indoors under diffuse lighting like a ballroom.
A flash of light on a grey day. If you're made of metal, you best stay away. What am I?
Lightning appears as a bright flash during a grey, stormy sky, and it's especially dangerous to metal objects, which conduct electricity.
A house where you are brought, If they find you or get caught. If you cross the government, This is where you will be sent.
Jail is exactly where you're taken if you're caught breaking the law or defying the government's rules.
I always run but never walk, I sometimes sing but cannot talk, No head on which a hat to place, You always look me in the face.
A clock's hands "run" continuously, some clocks chime a tune, and you check its face -- with no head to wear a hat -- every time you want to know the time.
A mile from end to end, yet as close to as a friend. A precious commodity, freely given. Seen on the dead and on the living. Found on the rich, poor, short and tall, but shared among children most of all.
A smile can seem to stretch "a mile" wide, costs nothing to give, and appears on faces of every kind of person -- though it's children who share theirs most freely.
I end and begin the day, Without me, you'll pay. With the aid of sheep, All my benefits you shall reap. If I make you miss class, You shall not pass! What am I?
Sleep bookends every day, and skipping it comes at a cost; "counting sheep" is a classic trick to fall asleep, and oversleeping through class can tank your grades.
At the sound of me, men may dream Or stamp their feet At the sound of me, women may laugh Or sometimes weep.
Music can stir up completely different emotions in different listeners -- some drift off dreaming, others tap and stamp along, and others are moved to laughter or tears.
I go around in circles, But always straight ahead Never complain, No matter where I am led.
A wheel spins in circles yet propels a vehicle straight ahead, and it simply rolls wherever it's steered without any resistance of its own.
My sides are firmly laced about, Yet nothing is within; You'll think my head is strange indeed, Being nothing else but skin.
A drum's sides are tightly laced or stretched taut, it is hollow inside, and its "head" is simply a stretched layer of skin or synthetic material.
Deep, deep, do they go. Spreading out as they go. Never needing any air. They are sometimes as fine as hair.
Plant roots grow deep and spread underground, do not need air the way leaves do, and their fine root hairs can be as thin as human hair.
There's no reason to fear If you see me lurking here Even though I shouldn't exist But few might have missed That I'm not at all real Because nothing can conceal The fact that I'm something That's not at all living What am I?
A ghost is said to be a supernatural presence that, by most beliefs, doesn't actually exist as a living thing, so there is nothing to fear from something not truly real.
I saw a man in white, he looked quite a sight. He was not old, but he stood in the cold. And when he felt the sun, he started to run. Who could he be? Please answer me.
A snowman is dressed all in white (snow), stands out in the cold, and "runs" -- melts and flows away -- the moment the sun warms him.
I bubble and laugh And spit water in your face. I am no lady, And I don't wear lace.
A fountain bubbles, gurgles ("laughs"), and can spray or splash water on passersby -- the "no lady, no lace" lines are just playful misdirection to make you think of a person first.
What stays where it is when it goes off?
An alarm clock doesn't move when it "goes off" (rings) — it stays put on the nightstand.
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't got me. What am I?
A true secret only remains one while it's kept to yourself; the moment it's shared, it's no longer a secret at all.
A king wears one on his head.
A crown is the traditional headpiece worn by kings as a symbol of royalty.
I have a head, tail, but no arms and legs. What am I?
A coin has a 'head' side and a 'tail' side, but obviously no arms or legs of its own.
White fat and fluffy, May even look like a puppy. Seems heavy but is light, Floats about without a worry, But if it turns dark you have to hurry!
White fluffy clouds look light and puppy-like drifting overhead, but a cloud that darkens signals an approaching storm.
I have a hundred legs, but cannot stand. I have a long neck, but no head. I cannot see, and I help keep your house neat and tidy. What am I?
A broom's bristles look like legs, its handle is a neck, and though it can't see or stand on its own, it's essential for keeping a house tidy.
I invade your home once a year... but only if you've been good. What am I?
Santa Claus is said to slip into homes on Christmas Eve, but only to reward children who've been good all year.
I usually wear a yellow coat. I usually have a dark head. I make marks wherever I go.
A classic pencil has a yellow-painted body, a dark graphite tip ('dark head'), and leaves marks wherever it writes.
Bumpy form of transportation in desert cultures.
Camels, with their humped backs, are the traditional "bumpy" ride across desert terrain.
By Moon or by Sun, I shall be found. Yet I am undone, if there's no light around.
A shadow is cast by either sunlight or moonlight, but it completely disappears the moment there's no light source to create it.
It is the transportation of choice for princesses to attend balls.
In fairy tales like Cinderella, a horse-drawn carriage carries princesses to the royal ball.
I can be red, blue, purple, and green. No one can reach me, not even the queen.
A rainbow shows many colors, but no one, not even royalty, can actually touch it.
I am at your hand when it is dark and hidden away in the light. What am I?
A flashlight is useful (and held in your hand) in the dark, but pointless and put away once there's light.
I am a portal to another world which you cannot enter. Only you can see me but I can't see you. What am I?
A television screen shows you other worlds and stories, but you can never physically step into it, and it can't see you watching.
I am like thunder in your cranium. What am I?
A pounding headache can feel like thunder rumbling inside your skull.
I have a neck but no head. I have a body but no arm. I have a bottom but no leg. What am I?
A bottle has a narrow neck, a body, and a bottom, but none of the human features that normally go with those words.
It's only good if people laugh at it.
A joke is only successful -- 'good' -- if it actually makes people laugh.
What has a neck and no head, two arms but no hands?
A shirt has a neckline but no head, and sleeves, or "arms," but no hands at the ends.
What hangs in the sky by day but at night goes away?
The sun is visible in the sky during the day and disappears at night as the earth rotates.
What instrument can make any sound and be heard but not touched or seen?
The human voice can produce nearly any sound and is heard, yet it has no physical form you can touch or see.
What comes once a day but leaves every morning?
Night arrives once every day and then departs each morning as the sun rises.
Agile on my feet, I drive dogs mad. I flick my tail when I'm angry and hum when I'm glad.
Cats move nimbly, annoy dogs, flick their tails when upset, and purr when happy.
I go in hard, come out soft. Blow me hard and I'll make a pop. What am I?
Gum is hard when you first chew it, softens as you chew, and can be blown into a popping bubble.
Proof you've done your time in school.
A diploma is the certificate awarded for completing a course of schooling.
What breaks in the water but never on land?
Waves "break" as they crest and crash in water, an action that doesn't occur on dry land.
What must be looked through in order to see?
The riddle plays on the phrase "look through" -- many people must look through their eyeglasses in order to see clearly.
What can be played with no rules and no winners or losers?
Musical instruments are 'played,' but making music isn't a competition with winners and losers.
When a doctor hits you with a hammer he is testing this.
Tapping a small rubber hammer on the knee tests the patellar reflex.
Hide me from your parents if you have done bad academically this year. What am I?
A report card shows your grades, so a student with poor marks might want to hide it from their parents.
I spin and hum, I'm your summer tool. Just flip the switch, and I serve to cool. What am I?
An electric fan spins rapidly to circulate air and cool a room once its switch is flipped on.
Often found in doctor's offices and pirate flags.
Skeletons (or X-rays of them) are common in doctor's offices, and pirate flags display a skull and crossbones. Technically the flag shows just a skull, not a full skeleton, so the fit here is a little loose.
What has fingers and a thumb but no hand?
A glove has individual finger and thumb slots but isn't attached to an actual hand.
I am often sold by children entrepreneurs in summer time. What am I?
Kids running lemonade stands on hot summer days is a classic entrepreneurial rite of passage.
You feel this sensation when you are dehydrated.
Dehydration triggers the sensation of thirst, your body's signal to drink water.
Sugar on a stick. The kids love licking them.
A lollipop is hard candy on a stick, perfect for kids to lick.
I'm a pie, but I come with pepperoni and cheese.
A pizza is often affectionately called a 'pizza pie' and commonly comes topped with pepperoni and cheese.
You take my clothes off when you put your clothes on. What am I?
You remove a garment from its hanger (taking the hanger's 'clothes' off it) at the same moment you put the garment on yourself.
It is yellow and you can serve it but not eat. What is it?
In tennis, you 'serve' the ball to start play, but a tennis ball (usually yellow) obviously isn't food.
It doesn't live within a house, nor does it live without. Most will use it when they come in, and again when they go out.
A door sits right at the boundary between inside and outside, and everyone passes through it both entering and leaving.
I have cities with no people, forests with no trees, and oceans with no water. What am I?
A map only represents cities, forests, and oceans symbolically on paper — none of the real things are actually present.
I belong to you but others use me more often than you do. What am I?
Your name belongs to you, but other people say it far more often than you say your own name aloud.
Men walk over me but boats go under me. What am I?
A bridge spans a body of water so that people can walk across on top while boats pass underneath.
I am sometimes yellow and sometimes white. Half of me is dark and the other is light. What am I?
The moon can look pale yellow or white depending on the sky, and its phases show it half illuminated (light) and half in shadow (dark).
I cannot be used until I have been broken. What am I?
An egg's contents can't be cooked, poured, or eaten until its shell has first been cracked open.
The distance from the top of your head to the floor standing up straight.
This is simply the definition of a person's height: how tall they stand from head to floor.
It moves around in circles. We see it as we turn. It keeps us always warm. Always alive and always dying, Across the sky we see it flying, But touch it and we burn.
The sun appears to circle the sky each day, warms the earth, seems to be born and die with every sunrise and sunset, and would scorch anyone who could touch it.
I am green but not a tree. You can see me and sit on me and I grow around the world. What am I?
Grass grows in lawns and fields worldwide, and it's common to sit or lie down on it outdoors.
What doesn't get any wetter, no matter how much rain falls on it?
Water is already water, so no matter how much more rain lands in it, it can't become any "wetter" than it already is.
Has its teeth on your head but doesn't bite.
A comb has "teeth" that run through your hair on your head, but they don't bite you.
The more I dry the wetter I get. What am I?
A towel is used to dry other things, but as it does so, it soaks up moisture and becomes wetter itself.