2,066 Medium Riddles With Answers - page 14 of 21
Weight in my belly, Trees on my back, Nails in my ribs, Feet I do lack. What am I?
A wooden ship carries cargo ("weight") in its hold ("belly"), has wooden masts and decking ("trees on my back"), a wooden frame held together with nails ("ribs"), and no feet since it floats.
From house to house he goes, A messenger small and slight. And whether it rains or snows, He sleeps outside at night. What am I?
A street runs past every house like a messenger connecting them, and it always stays outdoors regardless of weather.
A bus driver goes the wrong way on a one-way street. He passes two stop signs without stopping, and he even ignores all of the traffic signs. The driver passes the cops, but they don't arrest him. Why?
The word 'driver' is a job title here, not a description of what he's currently doing.
What's the difference between falling from a coconut tree and falling into a well?
Think about the order of movement: climbing up first versus dropping down first.
I hold the keys to places with no real traces. There are cities sans houses, mountains without trees, and waters lacking fish. To find out what I am and unlock more fun word. What could I be?
A map symbolically represents these features without containing the real things.
What has roots that nobody sees, and is taller than trees. Up, up it goes, and yet it never grows. What is it?
Its 'roots' are underground rock formations, and it appears tall without ever actually growing.
I walked down the street day and I found something that had worth. You make sure you don't lose it. It has a color, size, and shape but everyone is different. You touch it, enjoy it, like it, and always count it over. What is it?
Money comes in different colors, sizes, and shapes depending on denomination, and people constantly count and value it.
A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?
Learning to 'drive' doesn't mean she was operating a car at that moment.
I sway in the wind but fall in a storm. I can hurt for your needs or help you breathe. What am I?
Trees can be harvested to help people (wood) but also produce the oxygen we breathe.
I wiggled and cannot see, sometimes underground and sometimes on a tree. I really don't want to be on a hook, and I become a person when combined with a book.
Add the word 'book' to this creature's name to get 'bookworm', a person who loves reading.
I am mother and father, but never birth or nurse. I'm rarely still, but I never wander. What am I?
A tree "parents" seeds and branches without ever giving birth, and while its leaves and limbs constantly stir, it always stays rooted in one place -- a somewhat loose fit for "mother and father."
Wherever the wind does go, Towards there I dance; With the sun above me I grow; Yet without water below, I can never survive; And the taller I grow, The deeper I become. What am I?
Its branches sway with the wind while its roots grow deeper as it grows taller.
A monkey, a squirrel, and a bird are racing to the top of a coconut tree. Who will get the banana first, the monkey, the squirrel, or the bird?
Coconut trees don't grow bananas, so no matter how fast any of the three racers climbs, none of them can win a banana at the top - the riddle's trick is in the mismatched fruit.
The tallest trees fall, at my glorious call, some may resist, but only for so long. What am I?
This invisible force eventually pulls everything, even the tallest things, down to the ground.
Heart of stone within a tree, I'll help your words to outlive thee. But if you push me as I stand, the more I move, the less I am. What am I?
This writing tool has a graphite 'lead' core encased in wood, and wears down as you use it.
I can hold you prisoner Or set you free I can swing with ease (Though not from a tree) I have many shapes I have many sizes Yet, 'til we shake hands I'll hide my surprises. What am I?
This household object swings on hinges and you 'shake hands' with its handle to open it.
It shouts along the street, hasn't any lungs, It tugs at leaves and hurls them at people old and young. What is it?
This invisible force can be loud and moves leaves without having a body.
There are 2 cops parked along a one-way street looking for traffic violations. They spot a taxi driver going in the wrong direction, yet they do nothing. Why?
The word 'driver' is misleading; the person wasn't operating a vehicle at all.
I reach for the sky, but clutch to the ground; sometimes I leave, but I am always around. What am I?
This plant grows upward while its roots stay firmly in the earth.
An old-fashioned bike wheel has 21 spokes. How many spaces are there between the spokes?
Just like any wheel, the number of gaps between spokes equals the number of spokes themselves.
Why isn't the moon a good vacation destination?
Wordplay — "atmosphere" refers to both breathable air and an enjoyable vacation vibe, both missing on the moon.
Empty as space, Scary as a ghost. What am I?
Darkness feels as vast and empty as outer space and as unsettling as a ghost.
How are prisoners like astronauts?
Wordplay — prisoners want "out of" their cell, sounding like "outer," while astronauts study "outer space."
A glow in the dark, A place without life. What am I?
Space appears to glow with distant stars and light, yet is famously devoid of life.
What is bright but sometimes doesn't give off light?
The moon only reflects sunlight, so during a new moon phase it appears dark despite still being known as "bright."
I get fiercely hot. I vary in size. I illuminate darkness. What am I?
A lightbulb comes in many sizes, heats up while lit, and is used specifically to light up dark spaces.
Very few men have ever been here, and it is very close to the earth. What is it?
Only a handful of astronauts have ever walked on the moon, despite it being Earth's closest celestial neighbor.
The ghost of the mountain never to be seen. What am I?
Snow leopards are famously elusive and rarely spotted, earning them the nickname "ghost of the mountain."
Blacker than black, colder than cold. What am I?
The vacuum of space is both pitch black and extremely cold, more extreme than any earthly comparison.
If you don't move I move, if you move I don't move. What am I?
The moon appears to move across the sky relative to your own stillness or motion, an illusion of relative motion.
Soldiers line up spaced with pride, marching side by side. What am I?
A zipper's teeth line up evenly like soldiers marching in formation.
Large as a mountain, small as a pea, Endlessly swimming in a waterless sea. What am I?
Asteroids vary greatly in size and drift endlessly through the "sea" of space, which has no water.
It's been around for millions of years, yet it's still only a month old. What is it?
The moon itself is ancient, but its visible phase cycle repeats roughly every month.
I can be half without getting thinner. What am I?
A "half moon" phase doesn't mean the moon shrank — it's still the same size, just partly lit.
You can see through me, yet I am not transparent. I'm often the reason people feel hurt. What am I?
People can eventually "see through" a lie even though it isn't physically transparent, and it often causes emotional pain.
I am strongest when you see me as round. What am I?
A full, round moon is at its brightest and most visually powerful phase.
I surround you but I'm not clothes, I let you see but I'm not eyes. What am I?
Light fills the space around you and enables sight without being a physical garment or body part.
Can you complete each list? 1. Red, White, and 2. Look, 3. Wishing on 4. Ready, Set, 5. Reading, Writing, and
Each item completes a well-known phrase or saying, such as "Red, White, and Blue" or the "three R's" of schooling.
People have stepped on me, but not many. What am I?
Only a small number of astronauts in history have ever set foot on the moon.
What object has keys that open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but not go inside?
A keyboard has "keys" (buttons), a "space" bar, and an "enter" key, none of which are literal.
A man was just doing his job when his suit was torn and he died within seconds. What was his job?
A torn suit is only lethal within seconds outside a normal atmosphere, pointing to an astronaut exposed to the vacuum of space.
I'm a god, a planet, and a measurer of heat. What am I?
Mercury is a Roman god, the closest planet to the sun, and the liquid metal used in old thermometers.
How far is it from March to June?
Wordplay — March, April, and May make up spring, so March to June spans "a single spring" season.
Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
Asparagus and rhubarb are perennial vegetables that regrow from the same roots year after year, unlike most vegetables which must be replanted annually.
David's birthday is in December, but it is never in the winter. Why?
In the Southern Hemisphere, December falls during summer, not winter.
What lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with its roots upward?
An icicle forms and grows downward from a fixed point, its "root," in cold weather and melts away in summer heat.
Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. What are they?
Walking on live grass makes no sound, but walking on dry fallen leaves creates a crunching, "grumbling" noise.
A woman went to Virginia to get a job. She promised her mother she would come back and visit sometime. Then, in the middle of winter, her mother shouted, 'April is here!'. How is this possible?
The riddle plays on the name "April" being both a month and the woman's given name.
An abundance in arms, but lacking in legs. A tall skinny body, but missing a head. I change with the seasons, it's winter I dread. What am I?
A tree has many branches ("arms") but no legs, and it visibly changes with each season, bare in winter.
In spring I am gay in handsome array; in summer more clothing I wear; when colder it grows I fling off my clothes; and in winter quite naked appear. What am I?
A tree grows leaves in spring, thickens with foliage in summer, sheds them in fall, and stands bare in winter.
A forest exists somewhere on Earth. This forest has no life except for trees. After a storm, a tree was hit by lightning and fell. What sound would it make?
This is the classic philosophical riddle asserting that without a listener present, there is no one to perceive the sound, so effectively none exists.
One-fourth of the population of a newly discovered planet has 4 legs. The rest have two legs. There are 60 legs in total. How big is the population of the newly discovered planet?
With 1/4 of the population (6 individuals) having 4 legs and 3/4 (18) having 2 legs, 6x4 + 18x2 = 60 legs, totaling 24 individuals.
Test Mars. What is the anagram word?
Rearranging the letters of 'Test Mars' spells the word 'Smartest'.
Inside me, there is a teacup, a planet, a shelf, and you! What Am I?
The universe contains everything that exists, including small objects like a teacup and vast things like a planet, and you yourself.
I am in the beginning of the earth. I am at the end of time. I appear two times in a week. I appear once in a year. What Am I ?
'E' begins 'earth', ends 'time', appears twice in 'week', and once in 'year'.
I welcome the day with a show of light, I steathily came here in the night. I bathe the earthy stuff at dawn, But by the noon, alas! I'm gone. What am I?
Dew forms silently overnight, is visible glistening at dawn, and evaporates once the sun warms the day.
The higher I climb, the hotter I engage, I can not escape my crystal cage. What am I?
As temperature rises, the mercury inside a glass thermometer climbs higher while remaining sealed inside the glass tube.
I'm a god, a planet, and a measurer of heat. Who am I?
Mercury is a Roman god, the closest planet to the sun, and the liquid metal once used in thermometers to measure heat.
Four men were in a boat on the lake. The boat turns over, and all four men sink to the bottom of the lake, yet not a single man got wet! Why?
This is a pun on 'single' meaning unmarried versus not getting 'wet' -- since all were married, none were 'single,' the riddle's real trick.
How do you get into the great lakes?
This puns on 'Florida Keys' sounding like the 'keys' you'd use to unlock a 'lake' (lock/key wordplay).
I dance in the wind and I bow to a storm. I grow best in temperatures that are warm. By the riverbeds I like to grow, where the people in boats like to row. What am I?
River reeds sway in the wind, bend under storms, thrive in warm climates, and grow along riverbanks where boats pass.
How does a river flood?
This puns on someone getting 'too big for their britches,' swapped here to 'bridges' over a river.
Who's fault will it be if California falls into the ocean?
This puns on 'fault' meaning blame and the San Andreas Fault, the famous geological fault line running through California.
I'm an object; good at drawing. I draws without using any drawing instrument, yet I can draw even better and faster than the world's best artist. But what I will draw won't stay permanent and what I draws may see me or not. What am I?
A mirror instantly 'draws' an exact likeness of whatever faces it, though the image vanishes once you look away.
How does a caterpillar cross the river?
This puns on 'moth' sounding like the word 'moth' rhymes with... actually the joke is a caterpillar can only fly across once it metamorphoses into a moth.
Though liquid in nature, don't push me too far; for then I will break, and the damage may scar. What am I?
Glass is popularly described as an extremely slow-flowing liquid, and while solid to the touch, pushing or bending it too far causes it to shatter and leave damage.
When I looked In the lake, I saw my reflection, but yet I disappear from every picture I take. What am I?
Ghosts are traditionally said to have no reflection captured by cameras, even though they can appear in mirrors or water in folklore riddles.
Two people are standing on the bank of a river looking forward to crossing to the other side. There is one boat with a capacity for one person. The two people managed to cross the river safely. How did they do it?
Because the two people started on opposite banks, the single-capacity boat only needed one trip for each person to reach their destination.
While Sam was traveling, he saw a lake, a tree, and a city. What did he see?
Read it as the letters spelling 'a lake, a tree, a city' sounding out a hidden word.
What has emotions, but isn't living? Can be as Blue as the ocean or Red as blood. sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes angry.
A mood ring changes color supposedly reflecting the wearer's emotions, without being alive itself.
Created by man. There you stand, but don't stand over here. Understand? I'm invisible, yet oddly divisional. I follow rivers and cross continents. What am I?
Borders are human-made invisible lines that divide land, often tracing rivers and cutting across continents.
You can see me in a mirror, see me in a picture, and can even spot me in nature. What am I?
Beauty is something that can be perceived in reflections, images, and the natural world alike.
I roam the empty oceans pounding up over rocks, I make streams pour down peoples faces but some people like to ride me. What am I?
Ocean waves crash on rocks, can bring people to tears (metaphorically), and surfers love to ride them.
Two men had to go to the other side of the river, there is one boat, but only one person fits on it. Luckily they both got to the other side of the river. How?
Since the men started on opposite banks, the one-person boat only had to make a single crossing for each of them to reach the far side.
Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, even a river can't fill it up. What is it?
A strainer is full of holes, so no matter how much water pours through it, it never actually holds or 'fills up.'
What has five eyes but cannot see?
The word 'Mississippi' contains five letter i's, punning on 'eyes.'
I sail an ocean you'll never swim, and I voyage seas with white-cotton ease yet my hold is filled with water. What am I?
A cloud drifts across the 'ocean' of sky, looks like white cotton, and carries water inside it.
What has four eyes and runs south?
'Mississippi' contains four letter i's (read as 'eyes'), and the river flows south.
I am four letters long, I can be seen in the sky, I am the ocean & I am the sea. Can you guess me?
The sky, ocean, and sea all share the color blue, and the word 'blue' has four letters.
I run through hills; I veer around mountains. I leap over rivers and crawl through the forests. Step out your door to find me. What am I?
Roads are built to wind through hills, skirt mountains, and bridge rivers, connecting places just outside your door.
I have lakes but no water, No cars but I have streets; Many places and borders, But I'm in one piece. What am I?
A map shows lakes, streets, and borders as drawings, not the real physical things themselves.
There was a man who wanted to prove his love to his wife. So, he climbed the highest mountain, swam the deepest ocean and walked the biggest desert. What do you think his wife said?
The twist is that grand gestures mean nothing if you neglect the relationship itself; he was never actually home with her.
If you don't move I move, if you move I still move. I can shine but am not a light bulb. I will fall before you wake up. What am I?
The moon appears to travel across the sky no matter what you do, glows without being an artificial light, and sets before morning.
Can you complete each list? 1. Red, White, and 2. Stop, Look, and 3. Sun, Moon, and 4. Ready, Set, ? 5. Readin', writin', and
Each is the third item of a well-known three-part phrase (flag colors, traffic safety, sky bodies, race starts, the three R's).
I'm far away from you, but I still shine bright. I sleep at day, I wake up by night. I stay by the moon, but never get close to it. What am I?
Stars are only visible at night alongside the moon, appearing near it but always at vast, unchanging distances.
I can be half without getting thinner. I can shine with no fire. I can be hidden but never taken. I can stay dry while moving the ocean. What am I?
The Moon can appear as a 'half moon,' reflects sunlight without burning, can be hidden by clouds, and its gravity moves ocean tides while staying dry in space.
It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?
The moon has existed for billions of years, but its visible phase completes a full cycle roughly every month, so it always looks "new" again.
My farther is the moon, my mother is the sea, I die when I reach land. What am I?
The moon's gravity pulls the sea to create waves, which break apart ('die') when they hit the shore.
Inside a burning house, this thing is best to make. And best to make it quickly, before the fire's too much to take!
The phrase "make haste" means to hurry -- exactly what you should do to escape a burning building quickly.
In me a gas is confined, Upon my head a pot, And out of me is fire. What I am?
The clues describe a kitchen appliance that holds gas, supports a pot, and produces a flame -- a gas stove.
I can make many people scream yet I can still be seen. I can hurt without touching. What am I?
Fire causes people to scream in fear or pain and can be clearly seen, and its heat can burn without direct contact.
I am very important to all living creatures. I was firstborn in the sun.
Heat originates from the sun's nuclear reactions and is essential for sustaining life on Earth.
A group of men are suddenly awakened by a loud, piercing, continuous sound.
The alarm and their immediate readiness identify them as firefighters roused by their station's emergency alarm.
Fire is often maintained above me, and if you remove my first letter I still remain a place where fire burns.
Removing the 'H' from 'Hearth' leaves 'earth,' and a hearth is literally the place where a household fire is maintained.
A group of men is suddenly awakened by a loud, piercing, continuous sound. Immediately, they climb into their boots, dress, and clamber onto a red truck.
The clues (alarm sound, boots, red truck) all point to firefighters responding to an emergency alarm at their firehouse.
I have a butt, but I'm not alive. I bring smoke, but am not fire. I destroy, I kill, though I am not used in a war.
A cigarette has a 'butt' (its end), produces smoke without being an open flame, and causes harm to health without being a weapon.
I truly am cause for alarm. When you see me you can lose your house or your life. When you hear me you can also lose your job.
Seeing fire threatens your home and life, and a false 'fire' alarm at work could also cost someone their job -- a play on 'fire' meaning both flames and termination.
I live in a really noisy place, And I only appear when my loud friend is with me. I have my house high in the air, and I cause deadly fires.
Lightning is always accompanied by the sound of thunder, strikes from high in the sky, and can spark wildfires.
One day, a thirty story building was on fire. A man jumped out a window and nothing happened to him. Nothing was under him. How is this possible?
The riddle misleads with 'thirty story building,' but the man simply jumped from the ground floor window, so no fall occurred.
I am always hungry, I must always be fed, The finger I touch will soon turn red.
Fire constantly needs fuel ('hungry') and burns anything it touches, turning skin red.