439 Expert Riddles for Adults With Answers
This is the deep end. These riddles defeat most people on a first pass, and several defeat most people on a second. They are not harder because they are longer or more obscure - they are harder because they stack two pieces of misdirection where an ordinary riddle uses one.
Expert riddles are the right choice for a tie-breaker, for the last question of a quiz, or for the person who claims to be good at riddles. Give them one from this page and time how long the confidence lasts.
Every riddle has the answer and a written explanation, because at this level "the answer is a candle" is not enough - you need to see why nothing else fits.
If these are too much, Riddles for Adults sits one step down and is still not easy.
I call for you at the end of your road. You can try to run, but you’ll still meet my load. What am I?
Death is the final event for all living things.
I wait for all, patient and still. No man can outrun me, yet many try. What am I?
Death is the final event for all living things.
What’s the hardest part about eating vegetables?
A very dark joke using 'vegetable' as a derogatory term for someone in a coma or with severe disabilities.
What has 2 legs in the morning, 4 in the afternoon, and 6 at night?
This subverts the classic 'Riddle of the Sphinx' with a dark accident theme.
A person gets up 180 times a night and sleeps 7 hours. Where do they live?
At the poles, the 'night' lasts for months, so getting up 'every night' means getting up many times during that long night.
How many times does the long hand pass the short hand between midnight and midnight?
The hands meet 22 times in 24 hours, but the first one doesn't count as a 'pass'.
What is significant about 3661 seconds past midnight on 1st Jan 2001?
3661 seconds is 1 hour, 1 minute, and 1 second.
What is dressed when night falls and undressed when day breaks?
A fire is lit ('dressed' in flame) as darkness falls for warmth and light, then put out ('undressed') by morning.
I could sell tickets day and night, always awake, never a break. What am I?
The answer is often 'A Clock' or 'Time' as it never stops.
How long would it take a fly in wellingtons to walk through treacle?
A pun on the words 'fortnight' (two weeks) and 'too weak'.
What happens in the middle of each month, all seasons except summer, and only in the night?
The letter 'N' is in the middle of the word 'moNth' and in 'seasoNs', 'Night', etc.
My legs are knives. I am a knight. I can reclaim what I lose in a fight. What am I?
A crab has sharp claw-like legs, forages mostly at night ("knight" puns on "night"), and can regrow a claw lost in a fight.
I'm in Kentucky with chili, stay 3 nights, then train to Georgia and Kansas. Where am I?
This is a trick riddle where the answer is often part of the phrasing or a specific location.
A knight, a pregnant lady, and a doctor walk in; three people walk out. Who was the third?
The riddle starts with 'One knight' (the person), not 'One night' (time).
Where once there were many, now there are none. Marks an end and a beginning. What is it?
Midnight is the zero point where the old day ends and a new one begins.
From dawn to dusk I soar, a thunderous voice but silent I fly. Unseen by the naked eye. What am I?
Radio waves transmit sound across great distances but are invisible to the eye.
My body has a dozen heads or more. Count the ways you can hold me tight! What Am I?
A piggy bank contains coins (heads and tails).
Imagine you are in a dark room. How do you get out?
Since the dark room only exists in your imagination, the simplest way out is to just stop imagining it.
I am nothing, I am everything. Perfect dark and brightest light. Hungry and full. What am I?
The universe encompasses everything—light, dark, empty space, and all of us.
I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me but do from my lack. What am I?
Sleep is granted nightly and released each morning; lacking it, not having it, is what actually causes suffering.
I have 16 legs then, I sleep for about a fortnight and emerge with 6 legs. What am I?
A caterpillar has many legs, goes into a chrysalis (sleeps), and emerges as a 6-legged butterfly.
I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, none suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?
Sleep weakens the body, produces vivid dream visions, and lacking it—not having it—is what actually causes suffering.
I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness. What am I?
The letter S starts "sorrow," ends "sickness," and appears inside each described word (happineSS, croSSeS, riSk, Sun, darkneSS).
It can't be seen, can't be felt, can't be heard, and can't be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?
Every clue (unseen, unfelt, filling empty holes) describes the absence of light, which is darkness.
Where are the most sweat glands located?
While we notice underarm sweat, the highest density of glands is on the hands and feet.
What is the rarest blood type?
Rh-null has no Rh antigens at all; only about 50 people worldwide have it.
How much does a cubic foot of water weigh?
Water density changes slightly with temperature; it is densest at 4°C.
How often is the air's water replenished?
The atmosphere's water content is small but cycles extremely rapidly.
What is the smallest mammal on Earth?
The Etruscan shrew is the smallest mammal by mass, weighing about 1.8 grams.
What animal has the longest lifespan?
The glass sponge (Hexactinellid) can live for over 10,000 years.
Length of the largest blue whale measured?
The largest recorded blue whale was a female measuring nearly 111 feet.
How long to drive to the nearest star at 70 mph?
Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light-years away; 70 mph is incredibly slow for interstellar travel.
How long would it take to walk to the moon?
At a steady walking pace without stopping, it would take about 9 years to cover the distance.
How many orbits has Neptune made since discovery?
Neptune takes ~165 years to orbit; it was discovered in 1846 and finished its first orbit in 2011.
What shape is the moon?
The moon is slightly elongated due to Earth's gravity, making it lemon-shaped.
How long for one orbit around the galactic center?
This vast period of time is often called a 'Cosmic Year'.
How fast does the solar system orbit the Milky Way?
We are traveling at over half a million miles per hour around the galaxy's center.
How many stars are in the universe?
There are an estimated 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars (1 septillion).
How long to fly a plane to Pluto?
Pluto is billions of miles away; even a fast plane would take centuries to arrive.
Who is the father of modern chemistry?
Lavoisier established the law of conservation of mass and named oxygen and hydrogen.
When was the first Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded?
Jacobus van 't Hoff won the first prize in 1901 for his work on chemical dynamics.
When was the modern periodic table introduced?
While Mendeleev created the first in 1869, the version based on atomic numbers came in 1912.
What does a conchologist collect?
Conchology is the study and collection of mollusk shells.
What are the most common elements in the human body?
O, C, H, and N make up the vast majority of human biological molecules.
Are the sun and moon the same size?
The Sun is 400x larger but also 400x further away, creating an illusion of equal size.
Next element in: H, Be, F, S, Mn, Kr, In, Gd, Tl?
This sequence follows the atomic numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, 25...) which are perfect squares. The next is 92 (Uranium).
How many bounces will it take for a ball to stop?
In a theoretical model with a restitution coefficient, the ball bounces infinitely many times with decreasing height.
Why did Andrew die after mopping bleach with a rag and fluid?
Mixing bleach with ammonia-based cleaners creates toxic chloramine gas, which is lethal.
How much more powerful is an earthquake 0.5 higher on the scale?
The Richter scale is logarithmic; an increase of 0.5 corresponds to about sqrt(10) or 3.16 times the energy.
The beginning of the end, as well as the end of time and space.
This is a word riddle; the letter 'E' is the start of 'End' and the last letter of 'time' and 'space'.
I make up almost of the universe, but no one knows about me.
Dark energy is a mysterious force driving the universe's expansion, making up ~68% of it.
What four elements make up something that terrifies criminals?
The symbols for Carbon (C), Oxygen (O), Phosphorus (P), and Sulfur (S) spell 'COPS'.
Benzene ring with iron atoms replacing carbon atoms?
A 'Ferrous Wheel' is a pun on 'Ferris Wheel' and the chemical term for iron (ferrous).
What number do Nickel and Neon make when they are combined?
The chemical symbols Ni (Nickel) and Ne (Neon) spell 'NiNe'.
Which two elements heal?
A pun on the symbols He and Al, which spell 'Heal'.
What period of time is the lightest/weighs the least?
Wordplay: A 'day' can be 'light' (daylight), unlike the night.
Which concept in physics is the loneliest?
A singularity is a point of infinite density, often described as 'one' or unique in space-time.
You can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. But not Neptune or Venus.
This is a wordplay riddle; the letter 'R' appears in the names of the first four mentioned planets but not the others.
What is the center of gravity?
This is a wordplay riddle; the letter 'v' is the literal middle letter of the word 'gravity'.
One monkey has a banana, one a stick, one nothing. Which primate is the smartest?
Humans are primates, and you (the person answering) are the smartest primate in this scenario.
I burn and burn and never fall; I am made with glass walls.
A lantern holds a flame (burns) and is typically made with glass panes (walls) to protect the light.
Men love me, women adore me. I am never free.
Gold is a precious metal that everyone wants, but it is never free due to its high market value.
What type of man is always above a board?
In the game of chess, the 'men' (pieces) are literally moved across a board.
What is an "age" that most travelers have with them?
This is a pun on the suffix '-age'. Travelers carry physical baggage, which fits the wordplay.
I grow with age; you need a lot of me to be known as a sage.
Wisdom is an abstract concept that is traditionally said to increase with age and experience.
Only time it's okay to lock lips with a stranger for encouragement?
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (CPR) involves locking lips with a stranger to save their life.
Jack and Jill died in mud/liquid with broken glass near a train station.
The 'broken glass' was a fish tank. Without water, the fish died on the floor.
Six glasses (3 full, 3 empty). Move only one to make them alternate.
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
Is a wine container more or less than half full without using measuring tools?
By tilting the container, if the liquid reaches the lip and you can see the bottom, it is exactly half full.
Fred killed innocents and caused $4.7 million in damage but never had to pay. Why?
Fred is the name of a natural disaster (hurricane). Natural disasters cause damage but aren't legal entities that can pay for it.
I add 5 to 9 and get 2. How is this correct?
This logic uses 'clock arithmetic'. On a standard 12-hour clock, adding 5 hours to 9:00 results in 2:00.
A 7-letter word: if you take out 4, you have 1 left.
Think about the literal properties of a 'someone.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Children: Aerodynamics, Engines, Illustrator, Animal wisdom. Who are we?
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
Everyone has one of these. They are both hard and easy to keep.
Think about the literal properties of a 'secrets.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
What has teeth but doesn't possess a mouth?
Think about the literal properties of a 'a saw.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Others get wrinkles as they get old, but the older I get, the fewer wrinkles I have.
Think about the literal properties of a 'tires.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I creep upon you slowly. I change shades, and I grow. I weep and weep.
Think about the literal properties of a 'spring.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
It takes a good scholar to learn what I am. I am full of knowledge and have many words.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a book.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I am one hole in one pole. I pack a hole the color of milk. You use me less at night.
Think about the literal properties of a 'an eye.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I have 6 faces and 21 eyes. I have no body and cannot see.
Think about the literal properties of a 'dice.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I have a temper, and I blow my top when I make a mess of everything.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a volcano.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
A man and his boss have the same parents but are not related. How?
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
I am a house. People walk in blind, but when they leave, they can see.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a church.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can help make you see or blind you. I can build a castle but not one that you can live in.
Think about the literal properties of a 'sand.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I am afraid of cats. I have two colors on my skin. I am always with my pack.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a zebra.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
How many 9s are between the number one and the number 100?
Think about the literal properties of a '20'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
What grows bigger and bigger the more you contract it?
Think about the literal properties of a 'debt.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I never swallow anything, but I have a hard bite. I go all over the hills and make a pretty sight.
Think about the literal properties of a 'frost.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Today is the day prior to a couple of days after the one before tomorrow is the sixth day. What day is it?
Think about the literal properties of a 'friday.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can fill your body, but you are unable to touch me. Death is something I can bring.
Think about the literal properties of a 'smoke.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I grow, but I am not alive. I am fun to have on hand with friends, and I love summertime.
Think about the literal properties of a 'marshmallow.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I come in many varieties and can bring harmony. You move when you hear me, but you can't touch me.
Think about the literal properties of a 'music.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can be repeated but only sometimes in the same way. I cannot be changed, but I have been rewritten.
Think about the literal properties of a 'history.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I am good and in a fine state. Unfortunately, those who are in are sadly out of it.
Think about the literal properties of a 'sane.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I walked for miles, and I finally got it. When I saw it, I threw it away, realizing I did not want it.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a thorn.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Through my wounds, you will see the water run. I once held many, but I have no more.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a shipwreck.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Black within am I, and red without I am. I have 4 corners.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a chimney.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I only have one eye, but I see things better than those with two. I can save your memories.
Think about the literal properties of a 'camera.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I live in the ground. I may not be much now, but I will be someday.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a seed.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I travel from coast to coast and never move.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a highway.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
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