2,066 Medium Riddles With Answers - page 13 of 21
I make the leaves green, I make the dirt brown, I make the bluebirds blue, and I make all of your dreams come true. What am I?
Coloring in leaves, dirt, and birds describes an artist's tool, and the varied colors point to a box of crayons.
A farmer has never taken a shower in his life. He gets dirty every day, wears no cleansing scents, and is always clean at the end of the day. How is this possible?
The riddle is a logic trick: never showering doesn't mean never bathing, so he simply uses a bathtub instead of a shower.
I'm gentle enough to soothe your skin, light enough to fly in the sky, and strong enough to crack rocks. What am I?
A rephrased version of the classic water riddle: it soothes as liquid, floats as vapor/clouds, and cracks rock as ice.
I control what once was, what is, and what is to come. Some know not to waste me, whilst others take me for granted. What am I?
The riddle describes something governing past, present, and future and that can be wasted -- the classic answer is time.
How much dirt is in a hole that was dug 5m deep and 6m wide?
This is a logic trap: once dirt is dug out of a hole, the hole itself contains no dirt at all -- the numbers are a distraction.
I start with a "p" and end with "o-r-n" and I'm a major player in the film industry. What am I?
The riddle sets up an adult-sounding word pattern (p___orn) as misdirection, but the innocent answer is popcorn, tied to movies via theaters.
I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud! I am NOT a gossip but I do get involved with everyone's dirty business. What am I?
'Big mouth' is the nozzle, 'loud' is the motor noise, and it deals with everyone's 'dirty business' by literally sucking up dirt and debris.
I have hundreds of legs but I can only lean; You make me feel dirty so you feel clean. What am I?
The 'hundreds of legs' are broom bristles, and sweeping transfers dirt from the floor onto the broom, cleaning the floor while dirtying it.
A man is looking at a photograph and says, 'Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's son.' Who was in the photo?
With no siblings, "his father's son" is the man himself, so the photo shows his own son.
Can a Christian man marry his widow's sister?
If she is his "widow," he must already be dead, so he cannot marry anyone.
Five sisters are busy: Ann is reading, Rose is cooking, Katie is playing chess, and Mary is doing the laundry. What is the fifth sister doing?
Chess requires two players, so the fifth, unnamed sister must be Katie's opponent in the chess game.
You give someone a dollar; you're their brother, but they're not yours. Who are they?
If the person you give the dollar to is female, you are her brother, but she is your sister, not your brother.
A beggar's brother died, but the dead man had no brother. How is this possible?
The beggar is female, a sister, so the dead man, her brother, correctly has no brother of his own.
If your uncle's sister is not your aunt, what relation is she to you?
Your uncle's sister is either your aunt or, if she's not, she must be your mother, since a sibling of your parent is otherwise an aunt.
Can a man legally marry his widow's sister in California?
A "widow" is the wife of a dead man, so he cannot marry anyone — he's no longer alive.
Tom and his younger sister were fighting, so their mother made them stand on newspaper without touching each other. How?
The newspaper was slid under a closed door, keeping the siblings separated on opposite sides of it.
As far as I run, I never meet my brother on my right. What am I?
Points on a spinning wheel always move in the same rotational direction, so a point never 'meets' the point beside it on the other side.
We are three brothers, running behind each other. Always running around our mother: one after the other, yet no matter how fast we run, we never touch each other. What are we?
Clock hands or fan blades rotate continuously around a central point without ever catching up to and touching one another; here it refers to fan blades.
Three doctors say Robert is their brother. However, Robert says he has no brother. Who's lying?
The three doctors are Robert's sisters, so Robert truthfully has no brother while they truthfully call him their brother.
I am very powerful, And my brother is patient. I am of infinite value, And I wait for no one. What am I?
Time is described as powerful and infinite, paired with its 'brother' patience, since the saying goes 'patience is a virtue' related to waiting on time.
There are 8 brothers. Brother 1 is playing checkers. Brother 2 is eating. Brother 3 is watching video games. Brother 4 is dancing. Brother 5 is texting. Brother 6 is at school. Brother 7 is sleeping. What is Brother 8 doing?
Since checkers requires two players, logically Brother 8 must be the one playing against Brother 1.
You must keep this thing, its loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others. What is it?
Losing your temper tends to escalate a situation, provoking others around you to lose theirs too, so it's best to keep it in check.
I'm a word meaning eating well, but when one letter goes missing I mean starvation. What am I?
Wordplay: removing the 'e' from 'feast' (eating well) leaves 'fast' (going without food).
What are three keys that open no doors?
Wordplay on animal names that end in 'key': monkey, donkey, and turkey.
When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
Alphabetically, "Christmas" precedes "Thanksgiving" in the dictionary, even though the actual holiday order is reversed.
A man walked into a bar and asked for a glass of water the barman took out a gun and pointed it at him the man who asked for the glass of water just smiled and walked away happy Why?
The shock of being threatened with a gun cured the man's hiccups, which is why he thanked the bartender and left happily.
Craig died in Florida. Shortly after, Tracy died at sea. Nobody mourned, In fact, everyone was absolutely delighted. Why?
Craig and Tracy are hurricane names, so their 'deaths' mean the storms dissipated, which is good news rather than a tragedy.
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, they will not slice. It spins too fast, for your sight. What is this ride?
A fan spins rapidly like a merry-go-round, cools you in summer heat, and its dull blades are harmless despite spinning too fast to see clearly.
I can make you smile and frown. Make you laugh, and even make you cry. I can cause crashes, also you use me every day. I can make you dance. Some use me to go to sleep. What am I?
A smartphone evokes every emotion through what's on its screen, can crash like software, is used daily, and often plays music or lulls people to sleep.
I can bring you joy or sorrow, or everything in between. None have seen, smelt or felt me, yet many still know what I am. I have many types, but I am really just one thing. What am I?
Music can't be seen, smelled, or touched, yet it's universally recognized and spans many genres while remaining one concept.
I can bring tears to your eyes; resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant but last a lifetime. What am I?
A memory can bring back the feeling of seeing lost loved ones, evoke tears or smiles, and forms instantly yet stays with you forever.
Tool of thief, toy of queen. Always used to be unseen. Sign of joy, sign of sorrow. Giving all likeness borrowed. What am I?
A mask hides a thief's identity, is worn as a royal or festive toy, can show happy or sad expressions, and gives the wearer a borrowed face.
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 together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
Each violent-sounding verb actually describes photography: shooting a photo, developing it in water, and hanging it up to dry.
Loneliness isn't the key. One's you're touched you are free. Violence is not powerful. Every start means something. What is that something?
Being touched by love frees a person from loneliness, and its arrival gives meaning to new beginnings.
A single word which is versatile, it can be a letter, unknown to the problem, a variable, a target, a love, an intercept, and a type of chromosome. What am I?
"X" marks an unknown, a variable in algebra, a kiss symbol for love, a target, an intercept, and the X chromosome.
There was a boy named Bob. Bob really loved apples. One time, he took a basket full of apples and ran to his house behind the owner of the apples. The owner saw Bob running back to his house and didn't ran after. Why?
Since the apples were free to take, the owner had no reason to chase Bob down.
Stealthy as a shadow in the dead of night, Cunning but affectionate if given a bite. Never owned but often loved. At my sport considered cruel, But that's because you never know me at all. What am I?
Cats are stealthy, affectionate yet fiercely independent, and are unfairly seen as cruel hunters by those who misunderstand them.
Its waves and ripples please us all, We love to see it flying. And none can make a better one, You'll waste your time in trying. What is it?
A flag "waves" and "ripples" in the wind and is a unique national symbol no one can improve on.
Not only am I powerful enough to hurt like no other, I also have the power to heal like no other, but just like everything else, I can break. Life would be impossible without me, but it's already near impossible to find me. What am I?
True love can heal or hurt deeply, is fragile enough to "break," and is genuinely rare to find.
What is invisible and makes people suffer from symptoms like sweating and nausea, yet people can't survive without it?
Falling in love can cause physical symptoms like sweating and nausea, yet humans still crave connection and love.
I may be hard, I may be rough, Bound in the round to claim a love. What am I?
Diamonds are hard, rough stones set in a round ring used to propose love.
I'm sometimes white, and always wrong. I can break a heart and hurt the strong. I can build love and tear it down. I can make a smile, but more often bring a frown. What am I?
A 'white lie' is still technically wrong, and lies can both flatter (build love, cause a smile) and devastate (break hearts, cause frowns).
I am present at the beginning of love, the start of life and I am the end of evil. What am I?
The letter "L" begins the words "love" and "life" and ends the word "evil."
I leave you with a thought that fades out of sight. Product of the mind, undone by first light. Creator of hope, hell and heaven above. Made by wonder, fear, and perhaps true love. What am I?
Dreams fade at daybreak, are products of the sleeping mind, and can be shaped by wonder, fear, or love.
I have freedom from hate, but not from lies. I'm usually seen through clouded eyes. I come unexpected, though you wait for me all your life. I can't be brought yet some people try. What am I?
True love is free of hatred but can still be clouded by lies, and it arrives unexpectedly no matter how long you wait for it.
I drive men mad For love of me, Easily beaten, Never free. What Am I?
Gold is hammered ("beaten") to shape it, and men have long been driven mad chasing it, yet it never comes free.
I am a feeling expressed by words. Truthfully told by few, lies from many. I can cause the greatest happiness, or the deepest sorrow. Yet one still comes back tomorrow. What am I?
Love is spoken of often, whether truthfully or not, and causes both joy and pain, yet people keep returning to seek it.
I am served at a table, In gatherings of two or four; Served small, white and round. You'll love some, And that's part of the fun. What am I?
Ping pong is played by two or four people at a table, and the small white round balls are "served" just like in the sport.
I have a heart that never beats, I have a home but I never sleep. I can take a man's house and build another, And I love to play games with my many brothers. I am a king among fools. Who am I?
The clues (a heart, a "home" meaning card suit, playing games with "brothers" the other kings) all point to a card in a deck, specifically the King of Hearts.
A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, an attractive girl named Sarah. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Sarah seven apples. Why?
It plays on the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," so the bus driver was trying to keep the doctor away from Sarah.
A man walked in to a bar and asked for a glass of water the bar man took out a gun and poined it at him the man who asked for the glass of water just smiled and walked away happy Why?
A sudden scare, even from a gun, is a classic remedy people use to stop hiccups.
A man buys a glass and fills it halfway with water. Is it half full or half empty?
The riddle plays with the starting condition of the empty glass before any water was added.
A man was lying dead on the floor. Next to him was a puddle of water. How did he die?
The murder weapon melted after use, leaving behind only a puddle of water as evidence.
A man crosses a desert in 10 days with no water. How?
The riddle's phrasing hides that the 'man' referred to is actually named after and is a camel.
I'm scared of the water, But not scared of heights; I'm light and come in different colors, But typically just white. What am I?
This soft paper product dissolves when wet but flutters easily in the air.
A girl walked into a bar and ordered some water. The bartender then threw a big hairy spider at her. A few minutes later, the girl thanked the man and walked out. Why?
A sudden scare is a classic (if odd) home remedy people use to stop hiccups.
A boat capsized there are no survivors and there are only 20 people on the boat but 24 heads are in the water. How is this possible?
Break the word 'foreheads' into 'four' plus 'heads' to solve the wordplay.
Can you drop a full glass and spill no water?
The riddle never says the glass was full of water, just full.
They grab me, carry me, roast me on an open flame, grind me to pieces, blast what's left apart with boiling water, then finally, consume me. This happens to me and my billions of brothers daily. What am I?
The process of roasting, grinding, and brewing with hot water describes how a coffee bean becomes coffee.
What is the thing which, Once poured out, Cannot be gathered again?
Once rain falls from the clouds and pours down, there is no way to gather it back up into the sky again.
How can you put some water in a colander?
Turning the water into a solid, ice, lets it stay inside the holes rather than leaking through.
I was walking on the sand by the beach, not touching the water. When I turned around, there were no footprints. How come?
Walking backward means each new step lands exactly where a previous one already was.
Two of me become one, a union so true. I am transparent and pure, a liquid so clear. Quenching thirst, a gift without fear. What am I?
Two small clear droplets can merge together into a single larger one.
What do you swallow that swallows you?
When you fall into deep water, in a sense it 'swallows' you just as you drink it.
Salmon need me. Gravity uses me. At a distance I look gorgeous, but get too close and I become hazardous. If you do see me, I am usually pretty tall. What am I?
Salmon famously swim upstream and leap over this feature, which looks beautiful from afar but dangerous up close.
To cross the water I'm the way, For water I'm above: I touch it not and, truth to say, I neither swim nor move. What am I?
A bridge spans over water so people can cross it, staying fixed above the surface without ever touching or moving through it.
I trap warmth, Spray forth ice and water, and slip through your fingers with ease What am I?
These drifting masses in the sky can release rain, hail, or snow depending on conditions.
I am related to the water, but I am not wet. I am related to a shadow, but I am multi-colored. I am an illusion, but I show what is real. What am I?
A calm surface of water shows a reflection just like this reflective object does, without actually being wet itself.
I am both a killer and a savior, it depends on those who wield me. I will bring you from deep water to the shallows, or maybe I could be the one who will hang you in the gallows. What am I?
This tool can be used to pull someone to safety or, if misused, to execute them.
I am a window, I am a lamp, I am clouded, I am shining, and I am colored; set in white, I fill with water and overflow. I say much, but I have no words. What am I?
This body part can look bright, cloud with tears, and 'overflow' when crying.
We're both found in you; one thicker than the other; one colourless and the other colored. What are we?
One of these body fluids is clear and thin, and the other is thick and red.
Spelled forward is a brand of bottled water, spelled backwards is what you call a person lack of judgement.
Try spelling this popular water brand's name backward to reveal another common word.
Water on wind; Light, I rescind. What am I?
This drifts through the sky carrying moisture and can block out sunlight.
What liquid is represented by 'hijklmno'?
The letters run consecutively from H to O, spelling out the chemical formula H2O.
When it is cold I expand and when it is warm I contract. What am I?
Unusually, this substance is one of the few that expands rather than contracts when it freezes.
Imagine you are deserted on an island lighted up with fire. You have no bucket so you cannot use the seawater. How do you escape?
The riddle is only asking you to imagine the scenario, so you can simply stop imagining it.
I can trap many different things and colors, ever-changing, not boring. Look closely and you may find yourself also caught in my trap. What am I?
A calm reflective surface shows back whatever, and whoever, looks into it.
A precious stone as clear as a diamond. Seek it out when the suns near the horizon. Though you can walk on water with its power. Try to keep it, and it will vanish in an hour. What am I?
This frozen substance lets you walk on a lake's surface but melts away in warmth.
No matter how much rain falls on me, I can't get any wetter. What am I?
Since it's already entirely liquid, adding more of the same substance can't make it 'wetter'.
20 people jump into an empty pool filled with water and nothing else. After, they jumped in 24 heads came back up. How is this possible?
Break the word 'foreheads' into 'four' plus 'heads' to solve the wordplay.
Bright as diamonds, Loud as thunder, Never still, A thing of wonder. What am I?
This natural landmark sparkles in sunlight and makes a constant, thunderous roar.
I am the water of life, but seeing too much of me is never good. I am what binds families together, but I can be defied. What am I?
This vital fluid runs through your veins and the phrase 'blood is thicker than water' relates to family bonds.
I go up & then come down, A sight to the sour eyes, people love me. Rhymes with mountain, a pen in my name, A state of matter, who am I?
This decorative structure shoots water upward before it falls back down, and rhymes with 'mountain'.
I can be hot, I can be cold, I can run and I can be still, I can be hard and I can be soft. What am I?
This substance changes temperature and state easily, from steam to ice to a calm pond.
What is that which every one can divide, but no one can see where it has been divided?
You can split this liquid apart, but it instantly rejoins, leaving no visible seam.
I am seen in the water and seen in the sky, I am in the rainbow, a jay's feather, and lapis lazuli. What am I?
Both the ocean and the sky commonly share this particular color.
Late afternoons I often bathe. I'll soak in water piping hot. My essence goes through my see through clothes. Used up am I; I've gone to pot. What am I?
This small porous pouch is steeped in hot water to make a warm drink.
I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people, and mountains without land. What am I?
A map symbolically shows geography without containing the real physical features.
I am essential to life, yet I can take your breath away. I am both in you and around you. What am I?
This substance makes up most of your body and covers most of the planet, but can also drown you.
This old one runs forever but never moves at all. It has not lungs nor throat, but still a mighty roaring call. What is it?
This landmark constantly flows and makes a loud noise, yet stays in one place.
There is a green house. Inside the green house, there is a white house Inside the white house there is a red house. Inside the red house, there are lots of babies. What is it?
Think of the layered colors of a fruit: green rind, white pith, red flesh, and black seeds.
I climbed a cherry tree, where I found cherries. I didn't pick cherries, nor did I leave cherries. How did I achieve this?
With exactly two cherries, taking one still leaves one behind, satisfying both conditions.
What has roots, taller than trees and yet never grows?
Its 'roots' are underground rock, and despite being tall it never actually increases in size.
Can you guess who pea's friend is? He is something that grows on trees, he doesn't get bothered by bees, Is often eaten, for enjoyment and taste, and it is often thrown away in waste.
Think of 'peanut', a word that combines 'pea' with this tree-grown snack.
I can reach up from the ground, or hang from a tree, I am the result of your labour, or your offspring I can be. What am I?
This grows on plants from the ground or a tree, and 'fruit of your labor' is also a common phrase.
Crunchy, soft, and milky sweet. Bueno, luvit, and Golden tree. You can't say no, that's a difficult feat. But take too much and you harm your teeth. What am I?
The brand names given (Bueno, Toblerone-style 'Golden tree') are all famous chocolate products.
Their trunks are all packed and they wave their salutes. Will they hurry away on the wing? Don't worry, my dear; you'll not lose them. Don't fear! They never do leave till the spring. What are they?
Their 'trunks' are the woody trunks, and their branches 'wave' like salutes in the wind.
What is large, yet never grows; has roots that cannot be seen; and is taller than trees?
Its 'roots' are geological formations underground, and its size never actually increases.
I saw a dead cow walking on the street. How is this possible?
Re-read the sentence: the subject walking down the street is the person, not the cow.
A bird, a monkey, and a squirrel are racing to the top of a coconut tree, all eyeing a delicious banana up there. Who will get it first?
Coconut trees produce coconuts, not bananas, so the premise itself is flawed.