2,066 Medium Riddles With Answers
Medium riddles are the useful ones. Hard enough that the answer is not the first thing anyone says, easy enough that a group will actually get there - which is exactly what you want if you are running a quiz, a classroom or a car journey.
Most of these take one lateral step: a word that means two things, or a description that fits an object you were not picturing. Every one has its answer on this page.
What does a rich man need that a poor man has?
A poor man has "nothing," and ironically that's exactly what a rich man doesn't need — nothing more.
What month do people sleep the least?
With the fewest days in the year, February offers the least total time for sleep.
I am a term used to confirm. But take away my front, my face, I become known as human avarice.
Removing the first letter "a" from "agreed" leaves "greed," the word for human avarice.
It is able to speak because it has a hard gong. You know what it is as soon as it has sung. What is it?
A bell "speaks" because of its hard clapper striking its metal body, and you recognize it the instant it sounds.
I can be driven, but have no wheels. I can be sliced, but still remains whole. What am I?
In golf you "drive" the ball off the tee, and a poorly hit shot is called a "slice" — yet the ball stays intact and has no wheels.
What must take a bow before it can speak?
A violin must be played with a bow drawn across its strings before it produces ("speaks") any sound.
What builds its house with earthen string and ensnares its prey with a biting sting?
A spider spins silken web to build its home and bites prey to subdue it, described here loosely as a "sting."
Plant whose name sounds like a dish full of dairy spread.
"Buttercup" sounds like "a cup of butter," a container full of dairy spread.
What is it that no man ever saw, which never was, but always will be?
Tomorrow never actually arrives as itself — it's always just ahead, perpetually "will be" but never "was."
They are two brothers. However much they run, they do not reach each other.
The two wheels of a vehicle spin endlessly side by side without ever meeting.
I am bigger than elephant but lighter than a feather. What am I?
This is a loose fit — the classic version of this riddle usually answers "nothing" or "a shadow," but the source lists "wind," reasoning that a storm can dwarf an elephant in scale while having no weight to hold.
As strong as love, more dangerous than cancer.
Hate is often described as an emotion as powerful as love but far more destructive.
What devours all and can kill a king. Destroy a town and crushes mountains down?
Time eventually consumes everything -- kings die, towns crumble, and even mountains erode over time.
What can you add to a bucket full of water to make it lighter?
Adding a hole lets water leak out, reducing the total weight in the bucket.
A shimmering field that reaches far. Yet it has no tracks, And is crossed without paths.
The ocean stretches far and wide with no roads or tracks, yet ships cross it constantly.
The most beautiful and useless of human acts.
Art is often praised as beautiful yet criticized as impractical or 'useless' in a strictly functional sense.
What does no man want, yet no man want to lose?
No one wants the burden of having a job, but losing one (unemployment) is worse.
What has a bell but isn't a church. Is full of air but is not a balloon?
A trumpet has a flared 'bell' at its end and is filled with air (breath) when played, but it's a musical instrument, not a church bell or balloon.
Almost everyone sees me without noticing me, for what is beyond is what he or she seeks.
People look through windows to see what's beyond, rarely noticing the window itself.
When I live I cry, If you don't kill me I'll die.
A lit candle 'weeps' melted wax as it burns, and it will eventually burn itself out (die) whether or not you extinguish (kill) it.
What hole do you mend with holes?
A net is made entirely of holes, so mending it means adding more knotted holes.
If you slash it, It heals at once.
If you slash (cut) through water, it immediately closes back up, unlike a wound that needs time to heal.
What travels from coast to coast without ever moving?
A highway stretches from coast to coast but is a stationary road.
What is eaten but not grown and was born in water but will disappear if soaked?
Salt comes from evaporated seawater ('born in water') and dissolves ('disappears') when soaked in water again.
What is better than the best thing and worse than the worst thing?
Nothing is better than the best thing (since nothing beats it) and also worse than the worst thing (since nothing is worse) -- a classic logic pun.
What comes in many varieties and can't be seen or touched, but it often makes you move?
Music comes in many genres, is intangible, yet it often makes people dance or move.
What is the middle of water but is not an island?
The middle letter of the word 'WATER' is T.
Who works when he plays and plays when he works?
A musician 'plays' music as their profession -- their work and their play are the same activity.
During the 1800's these turned women into hourglasses and is becoming more popular again these days.
Corsets were tightly laced Victorian-era undergarments that cinched the waist into an hourglass shape, and waist-training corsets have seen a modern resurgence.
Slowly creeping, I am weeping, changing shades, and growing.
This describes the season of spring: nature slowly comes alive, plants seem to 'weep' with dew or blossoms, colors shift from bare to green, and everything grows.
Look into my face and I'm everybody. Scratch my back and I'm nobody.
A mirror reflects the face of whoever looks into it (everybody), but scratching its silvered back ruins the reflective coating.
I have married many women but has never been married. What am I?
A priest officiates (marries) many couples throughout his career without ever marrying anyone himself.
The older they are the less wrinkles they have.
As tires wear down with age and use, their tread grooves ('wrinkles') smooth out, unlike humans who gain more wrinkles as they age.
What falls but never breaks?
Night 'falls' each evening, but unlike a dropped object, it never physically breaks.
Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters.
The wind seems to 'cry' and 'flutter' as it moves, and it can 'bite' with cold or 'mutter' through trees, all without a body.
What do you use to hoe a row, slay a foe, and wring with woe?
Your hands are used to hoe a garden row, defend yourself against a foe, and wring out laundry in sorrow.
What is long and slim, works in light; has but one eye, and an awful bite?
A sewing needle is long, thin, has a single 'eye' for thread, and its sharp point can give a painful prick.
Which bus could cross the ocean?
This is a pun on the name 'Columbus' (as in Christopher Columbus), which contains the word 'bus,' and he's famous for crossing the ocean.
They cut doors in half and wear wooden shoes.
The Dutch are known for split 'Dutch doors' and traditional wooden clogs.
Sometimes black, sometimes white, I have veins but no blood.
Marble stone is often black or white with natural mineral veining, but of course has no actual blood.
What goes with a car, comes with a car, is no use to a car, but the car can't move without it?
A car makes noise when it runs; the noise itself doesn't help the car move, but you never see a working car without it.
Dies half its life. Lives the rest. Dances without music. Breathes without breath.
A deciduous tree appears to 'die' in winter (losing its leaves) and comes back to life in spring; its branches sway ('dance') in the wind without music, and it doesn't breathe like animals do.
What word is the same written forward, backward and upside down?
'NOON' reads the same forwards, backwards, and even upside down, thanks to the shapes of its letters.
What is it that you ought to keep after you have given it to someone else?
When you make a promise to someone, you must still keep it yourself even after giving it to them.
I have two bodies joined together as one. When standing still, I ran and ran. What am I?
An hourglass has two glass bulbs joined together, and sand 'runs' through it continuously even while the object itself stays still.
What relies on columns but isn't a house, and asks for help but can't speak itself?
A newspaper is organized into printed columns and often features advice or help-wanted columns, yet the paper itself has no voice.
There is someone, and there is always another, for without the other, there wouldn't be one.
Twins only exist as a pair -- you can't have just one twin, since being a twin depends entirely on there being another.
What has a spine, tail, and leash but isn't a dog?
A kite has a central spine, a trailing tail for stability, and a string ("leash") holding it, but it's an object, not an animal.
What goes further the slower it goes?
Money spent carefully and slowly stretches out and "goes further" than money spent quickly.
I am nothing really at all, Yet I am easily found; Ignore me at your own peril, and you might end up crowned!
A cavity is just an empty hole, but ignoring it lets decay spread, and treating it often literally ends with getting a dental crown.
It flavors your food and divides the year up.
"Season" your food with spices, and the year is also divided into seasons -- one word, two meanings.
Men cut this by attaching a razor to a broom handle or just have their wives do it.
Hard-to-reach back hair is jokingly said to require a razor taped to a long handle, or a helpful spouse, to shave.
What has four wings but cannot fly and uses the wind but does not know why?
A windmill has blades that look like wings and is turned by the wind, but it never actually flies through the air.
A great mysterious place that the bold have been known to journey into.
"Journeying into the unknown" is a common phrase for brave people venturing somewhere mysterious and uncharted.
What is that which, though black itself, enlightens the world without burning?
Ink is black, yet the printed words it forms spread knowledge and "enlighten" readers, all without any fire involved.
You can draw me, fire me or fill me in. What is it?
You can "draw" a gun, "fire" a gun, and "fill" it with ammunition -- though "fill me in" is a looser fit than the other two clues.
All about the house, with his lady he dances, yet he always works, and never romances.
A broom "dances" across the floor alongside the dustpan ("his lady") while sweeping, but it's simply doing chores, not courting.
What fruit is of great use in history?
A "date" is both a sweet fruit and the word for a specific point in time, which historians constantly use to record events.
If you agree give me one of these.
Saying "amen" is a traditional way of voicing agreement or approval, especially after a statement or prayer.
Locked up inside you and yet they can steal it from you.
Your heart is physically sealed inside your chest, yet someone can figuratively 'steal your heart' by winning your love.
Has feathers but can't fly. Rests on legs but can't walk.
A feather mattress is stuffed with feathers and often rests on bed legs, but being furniture it can neither fly nor walk.
When I get closer my tail grows longer, but when I go away my tail leads the way.
As a comet nears the sun its icy tail lengthens, and as it moves away that same tail points ahead of its direction of travel.
A house full, a yard full, a chimney full, no one can get a spoonful.
Smoke can fill a house, yard, and chimney entirely, yet it's too insubstantial for anyone to scoop up with a spoon.
One of the few times it's encouraged to lock lips with a stranger.
Performing CPR sometimes involves rescue breaths, essentially pressing your mouth to a stranger's to save their life.
Has no feet, but travels far. Is literate, but not a scholar. Has no mouth, yet clearly speaks.
A written letter can travel long distances through the mail, is made of words, and 'speaks' its message without ever having a mouth.
What covers its face with its hands, speaks no language, yet most known what it's saying?
A clock's 'hands' point across its 'face' to show the time, and everyone understands it without it speaking a word.
Tucked out of sight. I sing best at night. No instrument around, but you'll find me on the ground.
Crickets hide in grass, chirp loudly after dark, and produce their 'song' by rubbing their wings, not by using an instrument.
I'm an old relative who's hand's can't hold anything and eyes can't see anything. What am I?
A grandfather clock is named like a family elder, and its 'hands' are just pointers and its 'face' has no real eyes.
This small creature kills even the largest one.
Microscopic bacteria can cause fatal infections even in the largest animals, like elephants or whales.
Bury deep, Pile on stones, My mind will always Dig up them bones
Even when painful memories are 'buried' and hidden away, the mind keeps unearthing them, just as bones might be dug up.
It's a game played by serious people that takes place on a global scale.
Politics is often described as a 'game' of strategy and power played by leaders across the whole world.
What is it something that you always have but you always leave behind?
Your fingerprints are unique to you and stay with you, yet you leave a trace of them on everything you touch.
The stack just might be sent all over. Full of what's new, yet it's nearly obsolete.
Newspapers are distributed everywhere and are full of the latest news, yet print papers have become nearly obsolete in the digital age.
What can an elephant and a shrimp both be?
'Jumbo' describes an enormous elephant, but is also the name for a large size of shrimp on a menu.
What is red and nailed to a wall?
This is a classic nonsense joke: the herring is red because it was painted red, and it's nailed to the wall simply because the joke says so -- a deliberately absurd 'red herring' pun.
What grows in winter, dies in summer, and grows roots upward?
Icicles form and 'grow' downward from a fixed point during cold winters and melt away in summer, appearing to grow root-first from above.
Break it and it is better, immediately set and harder to break again.
Breaking a record (like a sports record) is a good thing, and the new record is immediately 'set,' becoming harder to break again.
What is put on a table, cut, but never eaten?
A deck of playing cards is placed on the table and 'cut' before dealing, but obviously isn't food.
What can you fold but not crease?
In poker, you 'fold' your hand (give up the round), which doesn't involve creasing any actual material.
You can only have it once you have given it.
You typically earn respect from others only after you've shown respect to them first.
Iron roof, glass walls, burns and burns and never falls.
A lantern has a metal frame and glass panes protecting a flame that burns steadily without being blown out or falling.
Forwards I am heavy, but backwards I am not.
'TON' is a heavy unit of weight, but spelled backwards it becomes 'NOT' -- as in 'backwards I am not' heavy.
I am heavy forward but backwards I'm not. What am I?
"Ton" spelled backward is "not," so while a ton is heavy, its reversed spelling literally says it's "not."
What can be found at the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, and the beginning of every end?
The letter E starts "Eternity," ends "timE" and "spacE," and begins the word "End."
What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it you'll die?
This is the classic riddle about the word "nothing": nothing is greater than God, nothing is more evil than the devil, the poor have nothing, and if you ate nothing you would starve.
This is needed both for courage and hardcover books.
"Spine" refers to a person's inner courage, or nerve, as well as the sturdy bound edge of a hardcover book.
We are two brothers on opposite sides of the road, but we never see each other. Who are we?
Your two eyes sit on either side of your nose, the "road," yet, positioned as they are, can never actually see each other.
The older this thing grows the more valued it becomes. It is always much better when its breathing is done.
Fine wine improves with age, and "letting wine breathe," exposing it to air before drinking, is a well-known step in serving it.
Hoofed frolicking.
"Horseplay" is a term for rowdy, playful behavior, punning on the word "horse," a hoofed animal, combined with "play."
My life is measured in hours. I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick; fat, I am slow. Wind is my foe. What am I?
A candle burns for a set number of hours, is consumed as it burns, burns faster when thin and slower when thick, and can be blown out by wind.
I am good at concealing what's real and hiding what's true. Sometimes, I bring out the courage in you! What am I?
Makeup can hide someone's natural appearance and sometimes gives a person the confidence to feel more put-together in public.
A man says: 'Brothers and sisters, have I none, but that man's father is my father's son.' Who is he pointing at?
"My father's son," who isn't the speaker's brother since he has none, must be the speaker himself, so the man is pointing at his own son.
There is one in every corner and two in every room.
The word "corner" contains one letter O, while the word "room" contains two — matching the riddle exactly.
What turns from red to black as soon as it touches water?
A glowing red ember instantly turns black and stops glowing the moment it's doused with water.
A tiny bead, like fragile glass, strung along a cord of grass.
Morning dew forms delicate droplets that cling to blades of grass like tiny glass beads on a string.
A plant whose name sounds like a dish full of dairy spread.
"Buttercup" sounds like a "cup" full of "butter," a dairy spread, though it's actually the name of a yellow wildflower.
How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide?
A hole, by definition, is empty space; it contains no dirt at all, since the dirt was removed to create it.
A white field, and when it is plowed, its soil is black.
A blank sheet of paper is the "white field," and writing on it with ink, "plowing" it with a pen, leaves black marks like turned soil.
What is higher without the head than with it?
A pillow is compressed and lower when your head rests on it, but "higher" when your head is off it.
What breaks without falling?
"Daybreak" is when day "breaks," a figure of speech, not a literal fall.
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