2,066 Medium Riddles With Answers - page 15 of 21
You can feel me but, I can't feel you. I can uproot trees and tear roofs off their houses. Yet, I can make a Baby sleep and be gentle. I can howl and whisper. I can spread and stop fires. I can toss boats and help them glide too. What am I?
Wind can be destructive (uprooting trees) or gentle (lulling a baby to sleep), and it can fan flames or blow them out, matching every contrasting clue.
No legs have I to dance, No lungs have I to breathe, No life have I to live or die And yet I do all three. What am I?
Fire appears to 'dance' as flames flicker, 'breathe' as it consumes oxygen, and 'live and die' as it starts and burns out, despite being non-living.
Why is a manhole cover round and not square? Can you guess the two reasons?
A circle's constant width means it can never tip and fall through its own hole, and it can be rolled easily to move it, unlike a square cover.
In this place, people lie, people cry, and people ask why. In this place, people sleep, people weep, and people's solitude, they keep. What is it?
'Lie' and 'sleep' both play on lying down in a grave, while 'cry,' 'weep,' and 'solitude' describe mourners visiting a cemetery.
I cease to be after I commence, Here I am, then back once more. A simple treat for another sense. Given, taken, or stolen, a thing you can't ignore. What am I?
A glance ends the instant it happens, is quick to give or receive, and is a small visual gesture directed at someone.
Where once there were many, now there are none. Time has done ticking; the hours are done. For now is an end, but also beginning, For darkest is now, but soon shall be thinning. What is it?
Midnight marks the end of one day's hours and the start of the next, is the darkest point of night, and the darkness begins fading afterward.
My veins of green may go unseen, Til on the ground I lay around. What am I?
Leaves have visible green veins that carry water and nutrients, and are most noticed once they've fallen and lie scattered on the ground.
I make hair stand on end, whisper between radio stations, and yet I refuse to change. What am I?
Static electricity causes hair to stand up, and 'static' is also the hissing noise heard between radio stations — and the word 'static' itself means unchanging.
Adored by few, Feared and hated by many. Mistress of the entire universal reason, Master in the art of numbers. Some may have solved many of your mysteries, But there still much of them to find. What are they?
Math governs the fundamental rules of numbers and reasoning in the universe, is loved by few and dreaded by many students, and still holds unsolved mysteries.
I can provide a blessing, a curse, or clarity. I am always running, but I am stuck in a loop. And though I will rule you for most of your life, you will always look up to me. What am I?
A clock's hands 'run' in an endless loop, it governs your daily schedule, and it is traditionally mounted high on a wall, so you look up at it.
I peel to heal this pain I feel. What am I?
As sunburned skin heals, the damaged outer layer peels away, which is the process described in the rhyme.
Which word does not belong with the others? niart, emag, tluda, mom, dad, mistag, yub, or sega
Reading each word backward gives a real English word except 'mistag,' which reversed spells the nonsense word 'gatsim.'
You use me everyday but let me rest at night. I have an identical twin beside me all the time. For some reason you always cover me up. I am not alive but I have a soul. What am I?
Feet are used all day and rest at night, come in an identical pair, are covered by shoes, and each has a 'sole' (soul pun).
What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?
This puns on 'pumpkin pi,' combining the mathematical constant pi with pumpkin pie, a fall dessert.
Why did the amoeba go to therapy?
This puns on 'divided,' meaning both emotional conflict and an amoeba's method of reproduction by splitting.
How does a biologist flirt?
This puns on 'nucleus,' the control center of a cell, romantically applied to being the center of someone's heart.
Why are biologists great at parties?
This puns on 'break the ice,' a social icebreaker phrase, combined with DNA, a core concept in biology.
What did the cell say when his sister stepped on his foot?
This puns on 'mitosis,' the process of cell division, sounding like 'my toe, sis.'
Why did the vampire read the newspaper?
This puns on 'circulation,' meaning both a newspaper's readership numbers and blood circulation, which vampires crave.
How do you make holy water?
This puns on 'boil the hell out of it,' an exaggerated phrase for boiling vigorously, applied literally to make water 'holy.'
One word in this sentence is misspelled. What word is it?
A trick question — the word "misspelled" claims to be spelled wrong simply by being named, even though it's spelled correctly.
I am always in the water, but I never get wet. What am I?
A reflection appears on the water's surface but has no physical form that can actually get wet.
I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
A joke can be "cracked" (told humorously), "made" up, "told" to others, and "played" as a prank.
What is at the end of a rainbow?
This is a trick question: the word 'rainbow' literally ends with the letter W, not a pot of gold.
What starts with 'P', ends with 'E' and has thousands of letters?
A "post office" handles thousands of mailed letters daily, and its name starts with P and ends with E.
I am a shape with 4 sides of equal length and 4 right angles, but not a square. What shape am I?
The riddle points to a four-sided shape with right angles that isn't a square — a rectangle, matching the classic kids'-riddle answer.
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Each step you take leaves a footprint behind you, so taking more steps creates more footprints left in your path.
I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch, will soon turn red. What am I?
Fire needs constant fuel to keep burning, and touching it will burn (redden) your finger.
Ally and Gwen were told to do house chores on a rainy day. Ally chose to hang the laundry outside to dry, while Gwen vacuum-cleaned the bedrooms. Who is more stupid?
Hanging laundry outside during rain won't let it dry, making Ally's choice illogical.
Of them beware - keep your distance, What happens to them is none of your business. But talk to one, and oh you'll see, Themselves no more, will they be. What group of people are they?
Once you talk to a stranger and get to know them, they stop being a stranger.
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. What am I?
Lightning always appears alongside its loud companion, thunder, high in the sky.
I have one eye but I still can't see. I can surf all day without the sea. I let you know what your friends have to say and I will wake you up every day. What I'm I?
The camera lens is the "eye," and the phone delivers messages and sets alarms.
A mile from end to end, Yet as close to you as a friend. A precious commodity, freely given. Seen on the dead and on the living. Found on the rich, poor, short, and tall, But shared among children most of all. What is it?
A smile figuratively stretches for miles when described as wide, costs nothing to give, and is common to people of every kind, especially children.
What kind of ship has two mates but no captain?
It's a pun on "mate," meaning both a romantic partner and a ship crew member.
I see without seeing. Noise is an ally. What am I?
Bats use echolocation, relying on sound rather than sight to navigate.
I have 11 friends and I am the shortest out of all of them. What am I?
February is the shortest of the twelve months of the year.
What force and strength cannot get through, I with a gentle touch can do. And many in the street would stand, were I not a friend at hand. What am I?
This small object opens locked doors easily, without needing brute force.
If you go to the movies and you're paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice, or two friends to the movies at the same time?
Taking two friends together costs three tickets total (you plus two friends), while taking one friend twice costs four tickets (two trips each), so the group outing is cheaper.
It's raining, and you pass a bus stop. There are three people there; your trustworthy friend, the love of your life, and a woman about to go into labor. Your smart car only has two seats. What do you do?
The clever solution avoids the dilemma entirely by handing the keys to the friend, so everyone gets help without you having to choose a rider.
A girl came running home crying because her boyfriend broke up with her. When she got home, she broke her phone and all of the pictures that had her boyfriend in it. What broke first?
Her heart broke emotionally before she physically broke anything else.
How can you physically stand behind your friend as he physically stands behind you?
Standing back-to-back means each person is simultaneously behind the other.
Where on Earth do the winds always blow from the South?
Standing exactly at the North Pole, every direction you face is south, so any wind must be blowing from the south.
What is the difference between the North Pole and the South Pole?
This is a play on words: literally, 'all the difference in the world' separates two opposite points on the globe.
Why is the largest city in Ireland likely to be the largest city in the world?
Wordplay — "Dublin" sounds like "doubling," implying constant exponential growth.
I'm an object; good at drawing. I draw 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 draw may see me or not. What am I?
A mirror instantly "draws" a perfect reflection without tools, though the image vanishes the moment you look away.
I have no eyes, no legs or ears, and I help move the earth. What am I?
A blind, legless earthworm constantly tunnels through soil, turning and aerating the earth as it moves.
I create my lair with earthen string, and dispatch my prey with a biting sting. What am I?
A spider spins web "string" to trap and bite its prey.
You cannot touch me. I cause anger and illness. My remedy is tangible. It spreads happiness throughout the world everyday. What am I?
Hunger is an intangible feeling that causes irritability and sickness, but it's cured by the very tangible, joy-spreading act of food.
There were two scientists who were looking through the woods. They found two people on the ground who where dead. They examined the two people and said they were the first people on earth. How did they know?
Without a mother, the first humans, like Adam and Eve, would never have had umbilical cords, and therefore no belly buttons.
What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A postage stamp sits in the corner of an envelope, yet it travels wherever the mail goes, potentially around the world.
They can be harbored, but few hold water, You can nurse them, but only by holding them against someone else, You can carry them, but not with your arms, You can bury them, but not in the earth. What are they?
You "harbor" a grudge emotionally, "carry" it in your feelings, and can only get rid of it by "burying" the resentment, not an object.
I came to prominence in the world during a time of trouble. I brought people together but helped keep them apart. I sound like I should go fast, but I am well known for taking too long to finish. What am I?
Zoom meetings became prominent during the pandemic, connected people remotely while keeping them physically apart, and were notorious for running long.
I hold a thousand voices, yet not one sound I make. I open doors to worlds though I never roam or break. In lines I travel paths, but never take a step. When you seek new places, I am the map you've kept. What am I?
A book contains countless characters' 'voices' in silent text, and its lines of print lead readers to new imagined worlds.
I come to you shattered and broken; And though not a word will be spoken; I will reveal to you, a world all anew; If you've the patience to make me unbroken. What am I?
A jigsaw puzzle starts as scattered broken pieces that, once assembled patiently, reveal a complete picture.
I am hewn from Earth and Fire; But to the sky, I aspire. I am nothing but contented; Until my patient rage is vented. What am I?
A volcano is formed from molten earth, sends its eruption skyward, and stays dormant and calm until its built-up pressure finally releases.
What won't break if you throw it off the highest building in the world, but will break if you place it in the ocean?
A tissue simply flutters down harmlessly from a fall, but it disintegrates ('breaks apart') once wet in the ocean.
What was the biggest island in the world before the discovery of Australia by Captain Cook?
A trick question — discovering something doesn't change its size; Australia was already the largest island before anyone found it.
I give you all the money in the world but I receive nothing. What am I?
Paper money is made from trees, so in a sense a tree "gives" all the money in the world without ever receiving anything back.
I blossom like a flower, a hindrance I create, and save you from the earth, do not use me too late. What am I?
A parachute opens up (blossoms) like a flower, slows your fall (a hindrance), and must deploy before you hit the ground.
What is made of wood but no saw on earth is sharp enough to cut?
Sawdust is already the byproduct of wood being cut, so no saw can 'cut' it further -- it's the end result of cutting, not a new piece to cut.
I'm fatherless and motherless and born without sin. Roaring when entering the world, I never speak again. What am I?
Thunder appears suddenly with a loud roar and vanishes just as quickly, without repeating itself in that same instant.
We capture light, and yet we don't. We reflect rays of sun, and yet we don't. Without us all the world is gray and dull for everyone. What are we?
Colors exist only through the interaction of light, yet aren't themselves physical objects that capture or reflect it.
I soar without wings, I see without eyes. I've traveled the universe to and fro. I've conquered the world, yet I've never been anywhere but home. Who am I?
The imagination can mentally travel anywhere and 'see' anything without ever physically leaving where you are.
Here on earth it is true, yesterday is always before today; but there is a place where yesterday always follows today. Where?
In a dictionary, the words are in alphabetical order, so 'yesterday' actually appears listed after 'today'.
What is one thing that all wise men, regardless of their politics or religion, agree is between heaven and earth?
This is a wordplay riddle: literally, the word "and" sits between the words "heaven" and "earth" in the phrase.
Three lives have I. Gentle enough to soothe the skin, Light enough to caress the sky, Hard enough to crack rocks. What am I?
The riddle describes water's three states/forms: liquid (soothes skin), vapor/cloud (in the sky), and ice (hard enough to crack rock via freezing).
What travels around the world but stays in one spot?
A postage stamp travels the globe on letters and packages while staying fixed in its corner of the envelope.
Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?
A trick question — Everest was always the tallest mountain on Earth, whether or not anyone had yet discovered or measured it.
A book costs $1 plus half its price. How much does it cost?
If the price is P, then P = 1 + P/2, which solves to P = 2.
Tara has $29.00 dollars. She bought 4 coloring books that cost $3.00 each, and 4 boxes of Crayola crayons that cost $2.00 each. She spends the rest of her money on markers. How much money did she spend on markers?
4 books at $3 plus 4 crayon boxes at $2 totals $20, leaving $9 of the original $29 for markers.
What makes "Book, Box, and Noon" the same?
Despite unrelated meanings, book, box, and noon are grammatically all nouns.
Don't judge a book by its cover. What is the contradictory proverb?
This proverb argues the opposite point: that outward appearance does define a person, contradicting 'don't judge by appearances.'
There once was a book that was only owned by the wealthy, but now everyone can have it. You can't buy it in a bookstore or take it from a library. What book is it?
Telephones were once luxuries for the rich, so phone books were once rare, but became common and are given free by phone companies rather than sold.
Four legs I do have, yet I never walk. I work not, yet I have food. All the food I get, none do I eat but you do. I cannot read yet many times I'm found with books. I am only but a carpenter's work. What am I?
A table has four legs, holds food and books, but never moves, eats, or reads.
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. What am I?
A blind, wiggling creature is a worm, and "worm" plus "book" makes "bookworm," an avid reader.
There were 5 children in a room. Iris drew a picture, Barry played video games, Andrew played chess, and Trina read a book. What is the fifth child, Mindy, doing?
Since chess needs two players, the child unaccounted for must be Andrew's opponent.
My numbers may vary, thin as a sheet, take one away, and we're just not complete. What am I?
A book's pages are thin sheets numbered in sequence, and removing one leaves it incomplete.
I am the shell of something interesting. My front is very eye-catching but my inside tells all. What am I?
The eye-catching "shell" is the book's cover, while its pages hold the real content.
My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I'm always ready to tell a tale. What am I?
A book is measured in 'volumes,' has 'leaves' (pages) you turn, a spine, pale white pages, and exists to tell a story.
Why was Miss Cow sad?
Pun on "bull," referring to both her romantic partner and the animal facing danger in a bullfight.
Why was the Joke Factory made to close down?
Pun on "cracks," meaning both structural cracks and cracking jokes.
Why was Cinderella bad at sports?
Double pun on "coach" (a vehicle vs. a sports trainer) and "ball" (a dance vs. a sports ball).
Why was the photographer arrested?
Pun on photography terms "shot" and "blew up" (enlarged a photo), which sound violent.
Why was the geologist's wife unhappy?
Pun on "granite" sounding like "granted," as in being taken for granted.
What can be heard and caught but never seen?
A remark, a spoken comment, can be "heard" and figuratively "caught," meaning understood, but has no visible physical form.
What can go up a chimney down, but cannot go down a chimney up?
This plays on the word 'up': an umbrella that is 'up' (open) can be pushed up a chimney, but an open ('up') umbrella cannot be brought down through a chimney the same way.
What can be done but not undone?
Once hurtful words are spoken aloud, they can never be truly taken back, unlike a written note that can be erased.
What can you find in Texas but not in the states of Ohio, Utah, or Iowa?
The letter "e" appears in "Texas" but is absent from "Ohio," "Utah," and "Iowa."
What can be seen, but cannot be touched, and when put in a barrel, will make the barrel lighter?
Light is visible yet intangible, and adding it doesn't add physical weight to anything.
What can be given and can be accepted, is worth a great deal but costs nothing, yet has no monetary value?
An apology carries emotional worth and can mend relationships, yet it's free to give and has no cash value.
What can be underwater, under fire, on fire, and taking water all at the same time?
A submarine can be submerged (underwater), attacked (under fire), damaged and burning (on fire), and flooding (taking on water) all simultaneously during combat.
What can burn the eyes, sting the mouth, yet be consumed?
Salt can irritate the eyes and sting cuts in the mouth, yet it's a common food seasoning eaten daily.
What can you hear, but not see or touch, even though you control it?
Your voice is entirely intangible, yet you consciously produce and control it.
What can bring tears to your eyes, make you move faster, make you move slower, and knock you over?
Wind can sting your eyes, push you along, slow your steps against it, and even knock you off balance.
What can cut like a knife, sting like a bee, bite like a lion? Carry truth and lies but never move or speak?
Words can hurt emotionally in many ways, carry both honesty and deception, yet remain intangible and voiceless on their own.
What can you throw but never catch and throw it again?
Wordplay — you "throw" a tantrum, an emotional outburst, but it can't be physically caught and reused.
What can bring back the dead; make us cry, make us laugh, make us young; born in an instant yet lasts a lifetime?
A memory can bring the past -- even the dead -- back to mind, stir every emotion, and forms in an instant yet can last a whole lifetime.
What can be held without hands but has to be let go?
You metaphorically "hold" a grudge emotionally, and healing requires consciously "letting it go."
What can be put in a cup, but never be taken out?
A crack becomes part of the cup's structure — it can't be physically removed once it's there.
What can be forever wound up but never annoyed?
Wordplay — "wound up" means both cranking a mechanism and becoming irritated, but a toy can only do the former.