1,128 Hard Riddles With Answers - page 5 of 12
Two people meet inside of a zoo and with some time a child was born. The child of two people had no clue, but the two people who meet they already knew. The child was the person who acted like glue. Who are the two people that met at the zoo?
The child bonds two people together who weren't related to begin with, hinting at adoption.
If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?
Scaling the rate proportionally for hens and days shows six hens laying one egg per day and a half each, totaling 24 eggs over six days.
If the only frying pan in the house is large enough to cook two pancakes at a time and pancakes take one minute to brown one side, how can you make three pancakes in three minutes?
Carefully swap which pancakes are in the pan each minute so none sits idle.
A Smuggler with a bicycle carried to sack of sand with him every day. However every time he was checked at the border, the officer's let him through. Wait, what did the Smuggler smuggle?
The obvious item, the sand, is a decoy from what's actually valuable: the bicycle.
There lived a man in a house and everytime he went to bed he turned on the light. One night, the man forgot to turn on the light. The next day he read the paper and killed himself. Why?
The 'light' he turns on nightly is a lighthouse beacon, not a bedroom lamp.
One day, Kathy was walking in the park when she stumbled upon two suspicious men. One of them was dressed like a werewolf, while the other one was not. Which of the two men was the real werewolf?
Werewolves only take their monstrous form under a full moon, so a costume gives away a fake.
It is everywhere yet nowhere and time mars it not. All things are within it's grasp and it is within grasp of all things. It has no limits, for it does and does not exist. What is it?
Read the riddle literally: the answer is the absence of anything at all.
Between 3:55 and 4:05 store lurking I maintained I was shopping and searching for a time telling device I'd bought, My alibi was that I was shopping for WHAT and WHEN?
'Shopping around' plays on the phrase describing the exact time of 4 o'clock.
A man goes upstairs to grab his time machine. He walks downstairs then goes back in time 200 years. Why did he go downstairs?
Think about whether the upstairs of the house even existed 200 years in the past.
I am four times as old as my daughter. In 20 years time I shall be twice as old as her. How old are we now?
If the parent is 4x and the child is x now, then in 20 years: 4x + 20 = 2(x + 20), which solves to x = 10, so the parent is 40 and the child is 10.
I warm the heart and I chill the skin, I can take human form, but I may vanish into nothing, soon after I am born. What am I?
A snowman brings joy ("warms the heart") while being cold to the touch, and quickly melts away after being built.
Blend a teapot shot so the pearlies whites won't rot! What is it?
This is an anagram/wordplay riddle where 'teapot shot' rearranges into letters suggesting 'toothpaste,' which keeps pearly whites from rotting.
If 10 bags of jelly beans and 6 licorice sticks cost $1, and 10 licorice sticks and 6 jelly bean bags cost 92 cents. How much does one licorice stick cost?
Solving the two simultaneous equations for the price of jelly bean bags and licorice sticks gives licorice sticks at 5 cents each.
Two fathers and three sons walk into a candy shop and buy one candy bar each for 50 cents each. They walk out only spending $1.50. How do they do that?
Three people (a grandfather, his son, and his grandson) count as 'two fathers and three sons' simultaneously, so only three candy bars were bought.
I'm done to boats, to cargo, to loads; When indoors I'm, in a way, a narrow road. What am I?
'Haul' (moving boats or cargo) is a homophone of 'hall', a narrow indoor passageway.
Why is a farm-yard like a hotel?
Pun on 'gobblers': turkeys that gobble live in a farmyard, while greedy overeaters ('gobblers') check into hotels.
Why did Santa spell Christmas N - O - E?
Removing the "L" from "Noel" leaves "Noe," playing on the phrase "no L."
I would hold you in my embrace until you go blue in the face. You're a deer, you're the apple of my eye eat me and you'll die. What am I?
The riddle plays on "dear/deer" and "apple of my eye," both hinting at cyanide, found in apple seeds and known for causing suffocation (going blue in the face).
If place 1 cake of soap on a pan of a scale and 3/4 cake of soap and a 3/4-pound weight on the other, the pans balance. How much does a cake of soap weigh?
The extra 1/4 cake on one side must equal the 3/4-pound weight, so 1/4 cake = 3/4 pound, making a full cake weigh 3 pounds.
A woman has three children: MoroEbi, MoroPet and Laura. MoroPet is in the sitting room playing, Moroebi is in the bathroom taking his bath, and the woman is in the kitchen preparing dinner. In what room is Laura.
The trick is grammatical: the question literally states 'In what room is Laura,' so the answer is that she is in the room called 'What Room.'
A student was once given a simple task to accomplish. He was given 6 numbers: 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 80, and was told to sum them together to be equal to 100. At last, he was able to accomplish this task. How did he do it?
Flipping 10 and 80 upside down/backward turns them into 01 and 08, and 1+01+20+30+40+08 sums exactly to 100.
Half of me builds towers and cities, the other half is squirming in the dirt. When I am whole, I become angry and bitter. Who am I?
The riddle splits the compound word: 'wood' builds towers and cities, 'worm' squirms in dirt, and together 'wormwood' is a famously bitter plant.
My thunder rolls beneath me, and my lightning flares above. I dust the crust, and when I bust, all I touch will I shove. What am I?
The imagery of rumbling below, fiery bursts, and pushing everything it touches when it 'busts' describes an erupting volcano.
I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I can make you clean or filthy. You can ride on me, or I can glide on you. Sharp I am mean, dull I am cruel. What am I?
Each contrasting clue fits a razor: it cleans (shaves) or cuts you, can be sharp (dangerous) or dull (painful to use), describing its dual nature.
A family has boys and girls. Each boy has an equal number of brothers and sisters, and each girl has twice as many brothers as sisters. How many boys and girls are there?
With 4 boys and 3 girls, each boy counts 3 brothers and 3 sisters, equal, and each girl counts 4 brothers and 2 sisters, double.
A boy has an equal number of brothers and sisters, and each of his sisters has half as many sisters as brothers. How many brothers and sisters are there?
With 4 brothers and 3 sisters, each boy sees 3 brothers and 3 sisters, equal, and each girl sees 4 brothers and 2 sisters, double, satisfying both conditions.
A woman proves her sister murdered her husband, yet the sister goes unpunished. Why?
As conjoined twins, punishing one sister would unavoidably punish the innocent twin too, so authorities cannot act.
As I went over London Bridge I met my sister Jenny. I broke her neck and drank her blood, and left her standing empty. What am I?
A classic riddle where "Jenny" is a bottle of gin — the answer plays on old slang for the drink.
A family relationship puzzle describes a series of descendants leading back to a woman named May. Who is being described?
The riddle's clues about family relations circle back to describe the speaker themselves as "May."
A woman sees a handsome man at her mother's funeral. The next day, she kills her sister. Why?
She murders her sister hoping the man will attend that funeral too, revealing her true, dark motive for the killing.
What relation would your father's sister's sister-in-law be to you?
Your father's sister's sister-in-law is your father's wife — your mother.
A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, yet nothing wrong was done. How?
Each clue has an innocent explanation: he was born feet-first before his father who assisted, his mother died in childbirth, and as a minister he officiated his sister's wedding.
There is a brother and a sister. The boy wants to visit his father in jail, but he has no way to get there. How does he manage it?
By shooting his sister, non-fatally, the boy gets arrested and sent to the same jail as his father, while she's rushed to the hospital.
There is a certain family with both girl and boy children. Each of the boys has the same number of brothers as he has sisters. Each of the girls has twice as many brothers as she has sisters. How many boys and girls are there in this family?
Solving the two ratio equations for brothers and sisters as counted by boys versus girls gives 4 boys and 3 girls.
A girl is twice as old as her brother and half as old as her father. In 50 years, her brother will be half as old as his father. How old is the daughter now?
Setting up the age ratios and the future condition algebraically solves for the daughter's current age as 50.
A boy has as many sisters as brothers, but each sister has only half as many sisters as brothers. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?
Setting up equations from each sibling's perspective (boys count all other boys as brothers, girls count remaining girls as sisters) solves to 4 brothers and 3 sisters.
Brothers and sisters have I none, But that man's father is my father's son. Who is "that man"?
Since the speaker has no siblings, "my father's son" must be the speaker himself, making "that man's father" the speaker — so "that man" is the speaker's son.
One side hopes you have a great day. The other wishes you'd just go away. One side wants to be its best self. The other just wants back up on the shelf. One side always needs the other, and yet you may require a brother. What is it?
The riddle describes positive and negative terminals ('great day' vs 'go away') and needing a matching pair, both traits of a battery.
If May's daughter's daughter is my granddaughter's mother's mother's brother's sister, then what am I to May? (May only has one sibling)
Tracing the relationships through the chain of 'mother', 'brother', and 'sister' collapses back to May herself being the answer.
Lobi's brother is MobiLodi's brother is ModiLofi's brother is MofiLoki's brother is ____HINT: It's a four-letter word
Following the pattern of swapping letters in each name (Lobi/Mobi, Lodi/Modi, Lofi/Mofi) leads to Loki's actual brother in mythology, Thor.
The 22nd and 24th presidents of the United States of America had the same parents, but were not brothers. How can this be possible?
Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, making him both the 22nd and 24th president, so 'they' are actually one person.
Lynn likes grapes but not potatoes. She likes squash but not lettuce, and she likes peas but not onions. Following the same rule, will she like pumpkins or apples?
Grapes, squash, and peas all grow on vines, while potatoes, lettuce, and onions do not; pumpkins also grow on vines, fitting Lynn's pattern, while apples (grown on trees) do not.
When I asked her how old she was, she smiled and said cryptically: 'The day before yesterday I was 22, but next year I'll be 25.' What is her birthday and when was the date of our conversation?
If today is January 1 and her birthday is December 31, then two days ago (Dec 30) she was 22, yesterday she turned 23, this year she turns 24, and next year (Dec 31) she turns 25.
Two women have just lost ten pounds. One was delighted, while the other was dejected. Why?
'Pounds' means body weight in the US but British currency in Europe, so losing ten pounds is good news for one woman and bad news for the other.
My love's the type of thing you have to earn, but when you earn it, you won't need it. Who am I?
The riddle references the idea that once you've earned unconditional divine love or grace, you no longer need to keep proving yourself.
Whether you choose or whether you don't, I leap from the peak to the hope of a bond. Attempts to extinguish my work's divine, Only hardens the grip-holds in time. What am I?
Love arises whether it's sought or not, and trying to suppress it often only strengthens its hold.
How you describe me is what I am. Poets might hate me, but sailors should love me. I can't give them the sea, but only something that sounds like it. What am I?
"Orange" famously has no rhyme, and its vitamin C sounds like "sea," which sailors would appreciate for preventing scurvy.
I can bring power, money, connections, repute, and admiration, but I'm useless in the face of love and friendship. Treat others with me, and you'll avoid heartbreak, but you'll also gain endless loneliness. What am I?
Treating people through a disguise, a fake persona, can win superficial rewards but destroys real love and leaves you lonely.
I am the beginning of enemity; the end of life and love; honey can't be without me; yet sugar can be without me. I am the fifth child of my parent's 26 children. What am I?
"E" begins "enemity," ends both "life" and "love," appears in "honey" but not "sugar," and is the 5th letter of the alphabet.
Farmer Brown came to town with some watermelons. He sold half of them plus half a melon, and found that he had one whole melon left. How many melons did he take to town?
Work backward from the one melon left, adding back what was sold, including the half-melon.
I sound a color, But that's the old me; I grow near the water; I'm what your doing. What am I?
This word sounds like the color 'red' but is spelled 'read', and also names a plant that grows by water.
I have your ohs and your wishes, Your life force and your death gasp. You can visit me, or we can get stuck together; Either way, you'll arrive pale and leave quenched. What am I?
People traditionally toss coins in and make wishes at this deep water source, and drink from it too.
I bought your aquarium for freshwater fish, I'm so glad but only one kind so far to surface, So, for now, I'll say thank you for the... what?
This is a pun on 'purchase' sounding like 'perches', a type of freshwater fish.
A traveler starts a journey. For the first week he goes east. The second he goes in all directions. The third he flies up into the sky. In the fourth he comes back down. Who is the traveler?
Think of the full water cycle: solid ice, flowing liquid, rising vapor, and falling precipitation.
Two mothers and two daughters went to the grocery store to buy watermelons. Strangely, they only walked out of the grocery store with three watermelons, but this was enough for each of them to have one watermelon. How is it possible?
Count generations rather than people: one woman can be both a mother and a daughter at once.
While stranded in the desert, you come across two creatures offering water. Only, one has no nose, and one has spines. They say that one has poison, and the other will keep you going for a few more hours. Which one can't you trust?
A snake has no external nose, while a cactus is covered in spines and holds drinkable water.
I am hot. I am hidden. I am cold. I am hard. I am sharp. I am soft. I am still. I am moving. I am above. I am below. I am two and one. Always changing. Always the same. What am I?
This substance takes on nearly opposite qualities depending on its temperature and state.
In Jamaica, if you drop a steel ball weighing five pounds from a height of 45 inches, will it fall more rapidly through the water at 20 degrees Fahrenheit or water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit?
At 20°F, water would already be frozen solid ice, not liquid water for the ball to fall through.
I possess a halo of water, walls of stone, and a tongue of wood. Long I have stood; what am I?
Its 'halo of water' is a moat, its 'walls of stone' are ramparts, and its 'tongue of wood' is a drawbridge.
If boiling water is poured into a thick drinking glass as well as a very thin wine glass. Which of the two is more likely to crack?
Thick glass heats unevenly, creating more internal stress than thin glass, which warms quickly and uniformly.
What's weightless, visible to the naked eye, and when you put it in a barrel of water it will make the barrel lighter in weight?
A hole takes up space that would otherwise be filled with heavier water.
I have an eye but am blind, a sea, but no water; a bee, but no honey; Tea but no coffee; and a why, but no answer. What am I?
Sound out each pair of letters: 'i', 'c', 'b', 't', 'y' spell out letters of the alphabet.
My first four letters describe all living things. My last five letters are another word for a knight. My job is to save you, and I'm a fan of water. Who am I?
Split the word: 'life' describes living things, and 'guard' is another word for a protector like a knight.
You want to boil a two-minute egg. If you only have a three-minute timer (hourglass), a four-minute timer, and a five-minute timer, how can you boil the egg for only two minutes?
The gap between the three and five minute timers is exactly two minutes.
The rungs of a 10-foot ladder attached to a ship are 1 foot apart. If the water is rising at the rate of one foot an hour, how long will it take until the water covers the ladder?
Since the ladder is attached to a floating ship, the whole ship rises with the tide too.
A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
The words 'shoots', 'underwater', and 'hangs' all describe steps in developing a photograph.
A woman is walking down a street night at a constant pace. As she passes the street light, she notices that her shadow becomes longer. Does the top of her shadow move faster, slower or the same when the shadow is longer as when it is shorter?
Using similar triangles, the tip of the shadow's speed stays proportional and constant regardless of shadow length.
There are 50 horses and 50 kings riding along an old dirt road. They came to a peach tree with 50 peaches. Each took one, yet there were still 49 left. How is this possible?
The trick is that 'Each' is used as a proper name (one of the 50 kings), so only that single king actually took a peach, leaving 49.
A man called 911 and said he saw a masked man, the police said where are you? They said 3325 Quader Street, when the police went there, they never came back. Why?
The caller himself was the masked man, so the police arrested him upon arrival.
You use me for my name, I'm not a breeze to tame, I'm fastest when I'm full and when it's cheap it sounds the same. You'll spot a nest near me (although I'm not a tree), the sea is fore, the sea is aft, it's all around, you see. What am I?
This word sounds identical to 'sale' and catches wind to move a boat faster when full.
Lauren has a lemon tree. The number of lemons on the tree doubles every week. In 28 weeks, Lauren should expect the tree to be completely covered with fruit. How many weeks will it take for the tree to be half-covered with apples?
Read closely: the second question switches the fruit from lemons to apples.
Streets can go through me, but roads can't. Goodwill can go through me, but not the Salvation Army. Trees can go through me, but bushes can't. Football can go through me, but not rugby. Can a tennis ball go through me?
Look for double letters in each word that 'passes through' versus each word that doesn't.
One-fourth of the population of a newly discovered planet has 4 legs. All others have 2 legs. If the total number of legs is 128, and the population is x, express x in terms of the legs.
Working through the fractional population clues given in the riddle arrives at a total planet population of 24.
I'm behind you In front of you And still surround you though not around you. What am I?
Space extends in every direction, existing behind, ahead, and around all objects universally.
Inside me, there is a teacup, a planet, and all the world's secrets. What am I?
The universe contains everything that exists, from tiny objects like a teacup to entire planets and every mystery yet unsolved.
My father is the moon, my mother is the sea, my brothers make music yet cannot be seen or touched. What am I?
The moon's gravity creates ocean tides, which in turn generate waves.
From the beginning of eternity To the end of time and space From the beginning of every end And the end of every place. What am I?
The letter "e" sits at the start of "eternity" and the end of "time," "space," "end," and "place."
I am the beginning of the end and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?
The letter 'E' sits at the tail end of 'the,' 'time,' and 'space,' and appears throughout the fabric of 'creation' and 'place.'
I am spring-bloomed petals birthed from Turkish gardens. I am a creature not bound by land or sea I am the champion of human rights. What am I?
Wordplay — "tulips" sounds like "two lips," which champion free speech, a human right.
A man is in a room and the door is locked so he can't get out. He has with him a piano, a calendar, and a bed. How does he eat, drink, and get out?
He eats the calendar's "dates," drinks water from the bed's "springs," and escapes by finding the right piano "key."
Upside-down or on its side, this merry-go-round is quite a ride. In the summer heat, it is quite a treat with blades so dull, that they will not slice. It spins too fast, for your sight. What is this ride?
The "merry-go-round" imagery describes a fan's spinning blades, which move fast enough to blur but never actually cut like a blade.
What is whiter than the first snow, redder than the blood of the righteous, greener than the spring grass, bluer than a cloudless sky?
Light can appear in all these comparative extremes — pure white, vivid red, green, and blue — depending on how it's reflected or filtered.
What is in seasons, seconds, centuries, and minutes but not in decades, years or days?
The letter "n" appears in "seasons," "seconds," "centuries," and "minutes," but not in "decades," "years," or "days."
I'm teary-eyed but never cry, silver-tongued, but never lie. double-winged, but never fly, air-cooled, but never dry. What am I?
This describes both the liquid metal mercury (shiny, wet, never fully dries) and the winged Roman god Mercury who never actually flies.
It is everywhere yet nowhere and time mars it not. All things are within its grasp and it is within the grasp of all things. It has no limits, for it does and does not exist. What is it?
'Nothing' paradoxically both does and doesn't exist, is present everywhere as an absence, and is unaffected by time.
Fire is often maintained above me, and if you remove my first letter, you will find the home shared by everyone you have ever known. What am I?
A hearth is where a fire burns, and removing its first letter 'H' leaves 'earth', the shared home of all humanity.
A traveler came to the river side, with a donkey bearing an obelisk. But he did not venture to ford the tide, for he had too good an *. What is the missing word?
The rhyme requires a word matching 'obelisk,' and 'a-*-risk' completed with 'ster' spells 'asterisk,' punning on 'ass to risk,' meaning the donkey was too valuable to risk losing in the river.
Many-manned scud-thumper, Maker of worn wood, Shrub-ruster, Sky-mocker, Rave! Portly pusher, Wind-slave. What am I?
This is an Old English-style kenning riddle describing the sea: it's crewed by many sailors, wears down wood (ships), and is driven by the wind.
My first is a creature whose breeding is unclear. My second, a price you must pay. My whole can be found in the river of Time and refers to events of today. What am I?
'Cur' is a mongrel dog of unclear breeding, 'rent' is a price you pay, and together 'current' means both a river's flow and present-day events.
What can grasp the world's edges with great precision, yet always perceives the imagery as vague conceptions?
Peripheral vision detects motion and edges at the sides of your view precisely, but the images there appear blurry and indistinct.
A pot-hole filled valley, where rains often fall; A land through which no river shall crawl. What am I?
A sieve is riddled with holes like a pockmarked valley, and water passes through it rather than flowing along it like a river.
Endlessly, I hunger, Lazily, I sleep. Murderous, I thunder, Desires, I do seek. Hoarding countless treasures, so my stature I retain, Envious of others whose feet on Earth remain.
Each line corresponds to a deadly sin in order: gluttony, sloth, wrath, lust, greed, pride, and envy.
Where are the lakes that are referred to in the "Los Angeles Lakers?"
The team began in Minneapolis, the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes,' and kept its 'Lakers' name after relocating to Los Angeles.
What river in Bavaria answers the question, Who is there?
The Bavarian river 'Isar' sounds like 'Is-er,' or phonetically 'I, ser' answering 'who's there?'
Both happiness and sorrow I bring from ancient taps a plenty. I dull the pain of cuts and life, some drowning in my embrace. What am I?
Alcohol has long been served from taps at taverns, brings both celebration and regret, numbs pain, and some people metaphorically 'drown their sorrows' in it.
Like a snake I constrict. Like a flowing river I glitter. However if I am licked. I will be bloody not bitter. What am I?
A necklace wraps ('constricts') the throat, sparkles like water, and metal jewelry tastes metallic, almost like blood, if licked.
Asher and Miles were shipwrecked. Miles was swept away by a strong current and woke up on an island. And Asher found a small wooden boat in the middle of the ocean. Both guys were thirsty and hungry. Who's going to survive for longer?
An island typically offers fresh water sources, while a person adrift at sea can't safely drink the salty ocean water.
Upon my top there is a golden shop wherein a dollar can't be spent. Along my sides stretch nature's slides which will never relent. At my feet where people meet full of ire, dread and lament. What am I?
A mountain's peak offers priceless views ('golden shop'), its slopes are natural 'slides' like rivers, and its base is where a difficult climb begins.
I am named for my fleeting motion. Numbered zero and four score more. A barren desert and a heavy ocean. One is flowing, the other a solid core. Who are we?
The planet Mercury (atomic number 80, named for the swift god) and the liquid metal mercury share a name; one is a barren world, the other a heavy flowing liquid.
You'll rarely find me in the forest, and hardly want to in the desert. I'm deadly in flight, but I never dance on water without an audience. What am I?
A stone thrown to skip across water needs someone watching to skip it, is common near lakes rather than forests or deserts, and could be deadly if thrown hard.