176 Time, Money & Music Riddles With Answers
Three subjects that share one useful property for riddles: they are full of words that mean something else. A clock has hands and a face. A note is both money and music. A bank holds cash and edges a river.
That is the engine behind most of the riddles on this page. Every one has its answer here.
Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn, I hang until half of me is gone. I sleep in a cave until I grow old, then valued for my hardened gold. What am I?
Cheese is made from milk drawn from a cow, hung or pressed to lose moisture, aged in cellars or caves, and fine aged cheeses become more prized ("hardened gold") over time.
Dreaming of apples on a wall. And dreaming often, dear. I dreamed that, if I counted all, How many would appear?
This is a whimsical nonsense-verse riddle where the answer simply echoes the dreamlike, arbitrary rhyme of the question.
Did you hear about the soldier who bought a camouflage sleeping bag?
A camouflage pattern is designed to hide things, so the joke is the owner can no longer locate his own sleeping bag.
A mother has 6 daughters. The 1st one was watching television, The 2nd was sleeping, The 3rd was at school, The 4th was playing chess, The 5th was playing his phone, what was the 6th daughter doing?
Chess is a two-player game, so logically the 6th daughter must be the one playing against the 4th.
To have one-third you must give, without me not long you shall live!
People spend roughly one-third of their life asleep, and going without sleep entirely is not survivable long-term.
A horse jumps over a tower and the tower disappears. It's not an illusion or a dream. So where could this happen?
In chess, a knight (horse) can capture a rook (tower/castle) by jumping over it, removing it from the board.
Formed long ago, yet made today, Employed while others sleep. What none would freely give away. Nor any wish to keep. What is it?
A bed is made (tidied) daily, used while people sleep, and no one wants to permanently give up or keep making it.
What do you call a boring dinosaur?
"Dino-snore" blends "dinosaur" with "snore," implying it's so boring it puts you to sleep.
I am a fruit, but I am not eaten. I live in a busy place. I never sleep. What am I?
"The Big Apple" is New York City's nickname, a busy city famously called "the city that never sleeps."
I am you when not asleep; And where the sad come to weep. What am I?
"Awake" contains the word "wake," which is also a gathering where mourners weep for the dead.
My call, I pray, at dawn of day, Shall rest you from your slumber, With job all done, my song all sung, I'll sit on a seat of lumber. What am I?
A rooster crows at dawn to wake people up and, once done, perches on a wooden fence or roost.
What is 8 when 8 is sleeping?
Tipping the numeral 8 on its side (as if lying down asleep) forms the infinity symbol (∞).
What does CLASS stand for?
This is a joking backronym poking fun at students who doze off in class.
I fly without feathers; Sleep when you're awake; I'm not a mosquito and neither a needle, But blood I'm known to take. What am I?
Bats fly without feathers, are active while humans sleep, and some species (vampire bats) feed on blood.
I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me but do from my lack.
Sleep takes over each night and releases you each day, and people suffer from not getting enough of it rather than from having it.
When you have me not, you want me. But when you have me, you do not know. What am I?
When you're tired you crave sleep, but once asleep you're unconscious and unaware of having it.
Where do daydreamers spend most of their time?
This is a self-referential joke plugging the riddles.com website as where daydreamers browse.
ln your dream, Voldemort is chasing you. "Avada Kedavra!" he cries. The light is two feet away from you. How do you get away?
Since it's just a dream, the easiest escape from any danger is simply waking up.
What do you call a spy who sleeps with a blanket over his head?
"Undercover" puns on both a spy working undercover and literally being under a blanket cover.
During what month do people sleep the least?
The riddle is a pun on "least sleep" meaning fewest hours available, since February has the fewest days.
What do you call a sleeping cow?
This reuses the "bulldozer" pun on "dozing," applied here to a cow instead of a bull.
Why did Silly Billy tiptoe past the medicine cabinet?
The joke personifies "sleeping pills" as if they could literally be woken up by noise.
Why did outlaws sleep on the ground after robbing a bank?
"Lie low" is an idiom meaning to hide and avoid attention, punned here with literally lying on the ground.
There is a man, with his horse he is going to a town. The man went to the town on Monday. He stayed there for 3 days and then he came back on Friday. How? His horse was not tired, he wasn't sleepy and took a rest.
The riddle plays on "came back on Friday" literally meaning the horse itself is named Friday.
I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me every day. What am I?
Each verb (run, jump, swim, stretch, stand) is something a leg does even though a leg has no biological functions of its own.
Saws sing it, We snore it, Bees drone it; And one alone ends the alphabet. What is it?
The letter Z represents the sound of saws, snoring, and buzzing bees, and is literally the last letter of the alphabet.
How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep?
"Rock-it" is a pun on "rocket," a vehicle astronauts use, and "rock it" meaning to rock a baby to sleep.
Where do butterflies sleep?
This joke riddle invents the pun 'caterpillows' -- combining 'caterpillar' and 'pillows' -- as where butterflies supposedly sleep.
What question can never be answered with a Yes?
If you're asleep, you cannot answer at all, so the honest answer "yes" can never actually be spoken.
I am six letters. When you take one away I am twelve. What am I?
"Dozens" has six letters, and removing the final "s" leaves "Dozen," which equals twelve.
What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?
Each clue is a play on words describing a river's features: it "runs," has a "bed," and a "mouth" where it meets the sea.
Fred is listening to the radio when it suddenly stops playing. Nobody is with Fred and nobody touches the radio. A few seconds later, the radio resumes playing. How can this be?
Driving through a tunnel temporarily blocks the radio signal, causing the broadcast to cut out and resume once Fred exits.
What's a plumber's favorite song?
It's a pun on the classic song "Singin' in the Rain," swapped to "drain" for a plumber's theme.
What pets make stirring music?
"Trumpets" contains the word "pets" hidden inside it, along with being a musical instrument.
The letters of the alphabet but only just a few; It's hard to say if I was invented or just discovered by you. What am I?
Music, like the alphabet, is built from a limited set of "notes" or symbols, and it's debated whether it was invented or discovered.
What was the pilgrim's favorite type of music?
"Plymouth Rock," the pilgrims' famous landing site, puns on the music genre "rock."
What is the noblest musical instrument?
"Upright" plays on both the piano's physical shape and the meaning of honest, noble character.
My shallow hills are the faces of kings. My horizon is always near. My music sends men to the grave. My absence sends men to work. What am I?
Coins are stamped with kings' faces in shallow relief, jingle like "music" tied to greed and death, and their scarcity forces people to labor.
It is a short song, It has a lot of names, and rhymes a lot. Hint: It is food. What is the pea's favorite song?
The nonsense rhyme "Greens Pea's potatoes tomatoes" mimics a nursery-rhyme style song built entirely from vegetable names.
What music do cows like to dance to?
"Cow-lypso" is a pun blending "cow" with the music genre "calypso."
If you were by a door, where would music originate?
"Handel" (a door handle) sounds like the composer Handel, a source of classical music.
A rock group with four members, Each of whom are dead; But people still come to see us, Though an album was never released. What am I?
"Rock group" is a pun on the literal rock carvings of four deceased U.S. presidents at Mount Rushmore.
I can soothe you, or drive you nuts. I can be quiet, but also blare in your ears. What does this? Figure that out, and you have found out the riddle.
Music can range from calming and soft to loud and irritating depending on volume and genre.
Why did the man hold a shoe to his ear?
"Sole" (the bottom of a shoe) sounds like "soul," a music genre, creating the pun.
What musical instruement would you use to catch a fish?
"Castanets" sounds like "cast a net," the action used to catch fish.
What is a device that you always have access to, that do not require recharging, and can record all of the useful information you have learned?
The brain naturally stores memories and knowledge without ever needing an external power source.
Play my music, if you dare. Turn my crank, although I'm square. Stand back, or get a scare, when you see my surprising glare. What am I?
A Jack-in-the-Box plays music as its crank turns and startles with a sudden pop-up surprise.
My call, I pray, at dawn of day, Shall rest you from your slumber, With job all done, my song all sung, I'll sit on seat of lumber. What am I?
A rooster's crow wakes people at dawn, and afterward it perches, or "sits," on a wooden fence or roost.
You can hear me and feel me but you can't see me or smell me, yet everyone has a taste in me. I can be created, but after that only remembered. What am I?
Music can be heard and felt emotionally, has personal "taste" preferences, and once composed only exists afterward as a recording or memory.
I cannot be felt, seen or touched; Yet I can be found in everybody; My existence is always in debate; Yet I have my own style of music. What Am I?
"Soul" is both the intangible essence believed to exist in every person and the name of a distinct music genre.
What kind if music is played inside the vehicle?
"Car-tunes" is a pun on "cartoons" combined with music played in a car.
What 3 common songs have the same meleody?
"Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and the Alphabet Song all share the exact same melody.
My scale is something that does not weigh in grams, ounces, or pounds. However, I may be heavy or light. What am I?
A musical scale isn't a weighing instrument, yet music can still be described as "heavy" or "light" in tone or mood.
At the sound of me, men may dream, Or stamp their feet. At the sound of me, women may laugh, Or sometimes weep. What am I?
Music evokes a wide range of emotional reactions, from dreaming to dancing to crying, in any listener.
What kind of a band, never plays music?
"Band" refers both to a musical group and a rubber loop, which obviously can't play anything.
I am a fruit. If you take away the first letter of my name I become a crime. Take away the first two letters of my name I become an animal. Take away the first and last letter of my name and I become a form of music. What am I?
"Grape" minus G is "rape" (a crime), minus "Gr" is "ape" (an animal), and minus first and last letters is "rap" (music).
When is music like vegetables?
"Beats" sounds like "beets," the vegetable, linking a musical measure to a garden crop.
A trail, a union, together tied. Come across me and you will find, you cannot change the course I'm on, without me you can't travel on. What am I?
Railroad tracks form a fixed, joined path that a train must follow and cannot travel without.
What tire goes on vacation?
Pun on 'retire', sounding like 're-tire', a tire taking a break.
What is the easiest way to throw a ball, have it stop, and completely reverse direction after traveling a short distance?
Gravity naturally stops and reverses a ball thrown straight up, sending it back down along the same path.
Where do crayons go on vacation?
Pun blending 'color' with the U.S. state 'Colorado'.
I am treated with great care until I reach my end by being torn in half. I'm a traveler. I bring both good and bad news. What am I?
An envelope travels through the mail carrying news, and is torn open once it reaches its destination.
What has a face, but no head; hands, but no feet; yet travels everywhere and is usually running?
A watch has a 'face' and 'hands' (the dial and pointers) and keeps 'running' to track time, but has no real head or feet.
Why did the tire need a vacation?
Pun on 'pressure', meaning both air pressure in a tire and stress.
What fruit always travels in groups of two?
Pun on 'pears' sounding like 'pairs', which means groups of two.
I am found in the sea and on land, but I do not walk or swim. I travel by foot, but I am toeless. No matter where I go, I'm never far from home. What am I?
A snail moves on a single muscular 'foot' with no toes, and always carries its shell home with it.
Trains travel from one town to another town all day, always on the same track, always going nonstop and at the same speed. The noon train took 80 minutes to complete the trip, but the 4 PM train took an hour and 20 minutes. Why?
A trick of units: 80 minutes and 'an hour and 20 minutes' are the exact same length of time.
I can travel from there to here by disappearing, and here to there by reappearing. What am I?
Wordplay: removing the letter T from 'there' leaves 'here', and adding it back to 'here' makes 'there'.
There is a bus full of people travelling to San Francisco and no one gets off the bus throughout the journey. But when it gets to the other side there is not a single person left. How is this possible?
Wordplay: 'single' means unmarried, so if everyone is married, there is no 'single' person left on the bus.
I'm found in the sea and on land but I can't walk or swim. I travel by foot but I'm toeless. No matter where I go I'm never far from home. What am I?
A snail moves on a single muscular 'foot' with no toes, and always carries its shell home with it.
Where do TVs go on vacation?
Pun on 'remote', both a TV remote control and a faraway destination.
Which word is the odd one out: Seventy, Brawl, Clover, Proper, Carrot, Swing, Change, Travel, Sacred, Stone?
Removing the first and last letters from every word except 'Carrot' leaves a valid smaller word (e.g., Seventy -> Event); Carrot leaves 'arro', which is not a word.
Which part of a road do Ghost's love to travel the most?
Pun on 'Dead End', a road term that also evokes ghosts being dead.
My first is often at the front door. My second is found in the cereal family. My third is what most people want. My whole is one of the United States. What am I?
The riddle builds the word from a doormat, the grain rye, and money, spelling out "matrimony," itself a kind of "united state."
Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. And whoever knows it wants it not. What is it?
Counterfeiters never admit what they've made, spenders often don't realize it's fake, and anyone who recognizes it as counterfeit certainly doesn't want it.
What is the difference between a dollar and a half and thirty five-cents?
"Thirty five-cents" (thirty coins each worth five cents) equals $1.50, the same as "a dollar and a half," unlike "thirty-five cents" which is only $0.35.
How can you give someone $63 using six bills, without using any one dollar bills?
One $50, one $5, and four $2 bills sum to $63 across exactly six bills without any $1 bills.
I have three USA coins. They are not a quarter, dime or penny and they add up to 60 cents. What are the coins?
A 50-cent piece plus two nickels totals 60 cents while avoiding quarters, dimes, and pennies entirely.
Joe has ten coins totaling $1.19. From these coins, he cannot make exact change for a dollar, half-dollar, quarter, dime, or nickel. What are the coins?
This combination totals exactly $1.19 in exactly ten coins, yet lacks the right denominations to make exact change for a dollar, half-dollar, quarter, dime, or nickel individually.
You and four other people robbed a bank for 200,000,000 dollars you evenly split the money for every person you get 25% of the money how much do you get.
The riddle's own math states each of the 4 named shares is 25%, and four 25% shares add up to the full 100%, an intentional trick in the wording.
Why are mortgages like burglars?
A mortgage is legally "secured" against your home, playing on the same word a burglar might use to "seek" your valuables.
Tara has $29.00 dollars. She bought 4 coloring books that cost $3.00 each, 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 coloring books cost $12 and 4 crayon boxes cost $8, totaling $20, leaving $9 of her $29 for markers.
I am needed to survive, but when am here there is evil and good, when am gone others come in, you don't seek me you die. What I am?
Money is essential for survival, can enable both good and evil, and its absence invites hardship or worse.
If you were to put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert a cork into the neck, how could you remove the coin without taking out the cork or breaking the bottle?
Pushing the cork inward instead of pulling it out leaves the opening clear enough to shake the coin free.
If you take me four steps forward from the ball you will see something making a noise. but if you take me four more steps you will need to pay money. Who am i?
Shifting the vowel in "ball" alphabetically turns it into "bell," then "bill," a word tied to paying money.
What do a- Jealous teenage girl, A dollar bill, And a bed of grass have in common?
Envy is described as being "green," and a dollar bill and grass are both literally green.
A robber came into my store and stole $100 from the register without my knowledge. A few minutes later, the same guy came back with the $100 he stole and purchased $70 worth of items and I gave him $30 in change. How much money did I lose?
The $100 was stolen outright; the later purchase just moved the same stolen bill around the register and gave away $70 in goods plus $30 change, netting a $100 loss overall.
Two coins equal 30 cents and one isn't a nickel. What are the two coins?
Only one coin is excluded from being a nickel, so the other coin can still be a nickel, giving 25¢+5¢=30¢.
I have four digits, I own a lot of cash money money, I'm kept a secret, but used on the daily. What am I?
A four-digit PIN is a secret code used daily to access cash from an account or card.
You have two coins, and their total value is 11¢. One of the coins is not a penny. What are the two coins?
Only one coin is excluded from being a penny, leaving the other coin free to be a penny, and 10¢+1¢ equals 11¢.
Which is better, an old ten dollar bill or a new one?
"New one" is read as "a new $1 bill," which is worth far less than an old $10 bill.
You try to gain more of me with every coin. You travel every distance to obtain me. You try every illusion to believe you have me. What am I?
The riddle describes something people chase endlessly with money and effort, and sometimes only believe they have through illusion: freedom.
A bottle costs a dollar more than a cork. Together they cost 110 cents. How much does the bottle cost and how much does the cork cost?
If the cork is x, the bottle is x+100; together 2x+100=110, so x=5 cents and the bottle is 105 cents.
What has fifty heads and fifty tails?
Each of the fifty pennies contributes one heads side and one tails side, totaling fifty of each.
I start off red, then I am halved, and turn blue. I am then halved once again, and turn pink. What am I?
The riddle traces Australian banknote colors as their denomination halves: $20 red, $10 blue, $5 pink.
I have four characteristics, durability, divisibility, transportability, and non-counterfeitability. What am I?
These four properties, durability, divisibility, portability, and being hard to fake, are the textbook qualities that make good currency.
What has a head and tail that will never meet?
A coin's heads and tails sides are opposite faces of the same flat disc, so they can never physically touch.
I'm hard as a rock, and as light as a feather. I'm passed on to one another. Poor people need me, and rich people have me. What am I?
Money can feel as solid as a coin or as light as a bill, and it's constantly exchanged between people of every income level.
What is equal to time, more likely to corrupt, possessed by the rich, needed by the poor, and if taken away, leads to a loss of status?
"Time is money" and money famously "corrupts," is unevenly distributed, and losing it affects social status.
I am green all over, yet I know no bounds. If you turn me around a face you will see, being without me produces envy. What am I?
A dollar bill is green, has a portrait on one side, and not having money often breeds envy of those who do.
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