472 "What Am I?" Riddles With Answers - page 5 of 5
It regulates our daily movements, but it feels no interest in our lives. It directs us when to come and go, but does not care if we pay attention. What is it?
A clock dictates our daily schedules, when to wake, work, and sleep, yet it is an unfeeling object indifferent to whether we follow it.
You eat something you neither plant nor plow. It is the son of water, but if water touches it, it dies. What is it?
Salt is produced by evaporating seawater, but the moment fresh water touches it again, it dissolves and effectively 'dies' as a solid.
Glittering points that downward thrust. Sparkling spears that do not rust. What is it?
An icicle forms as dripping water freezes into a sharp downward-pointing spike of ice, which can't rust because it isn't metal.
Covered in stone and sun. It's home to many but also none. What is it?
A cemetery is filled with stone headstones out in the open, and while it "houses" many graves, no one is actually living there.
A circle of stones, never in rows. Stacked one on the other, mystery it sows. What is it?
Stonehenge is the famous prehistoric circle of massive standing and stacked stones whose original purpose remains a mystery.
It can't be seen or felt. It can't be touched or smelt. Behind stars and under hills, all emptiness it fills. What is it?
Space is intangible and undetectable by the senses directly, yet it exists behind every star and beneath every hill, filling all the emptiness of the universe.
Never swallowed but certainly chewed, tossed in the mouth but it is not food. What is it?
Chewing gum is popped into the mouth and chewed for a long time, but unlike food it is meant to be spit out, not swallowed.
Women don't have and don't want it. Men get it but sometimes they try to get rid of it. What is it?
Beards grow naturally on men's faces; women generally don't grow facial hair, and many men shave their beards off.
Sharp and long, flag of the world. What is it?
This riddle's wording is a bit garbled in the source, but it points to a tall, sharply-pointed tower (like the Eiffel Tower) that has become an iconic, world-famous landmark or 'symbol' -- the fit is looser than most riddles here.
This is a shape and a symbol that we literally cannot live without. What is it?
The heart shape symbolizes love, but it's also the literal organ that pumps blood, without which no one can survive.
A device that nearly everyone has that can freeze anyone it sees. What is it?
A camera "freezes" whoever it photographs by capturing a still image of that instant, and nearly everyone now carries one in their phone.
You need a key to receive an answer from me. The answer you'll find is straight from your mind. What is it?
A code is unlocked with a key, and once decoded it reveals a message straight from the mind of whoever wrote it.
Give it a toss, and it's ready, but not until it's dressed. What is it?
A salad is tossed together and isn't considered ready until it's topped with dressing.
It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. What is it?
A cabbage grows on a single stalk (its 'leg') and its dense center of leaves is called its 'heart,' located inside its round head.
What has wings, but can not fly. Is enclosed, but can outside also lie. Can open itself up, or close itself away. Is the place of kings and queens, and doggerel of every means. What is it upon which I stand? Which can lead us to different lands.
A theater stage has side 'wings' it can't fly with, sits enclosed indoors though outdoor stages exist too, opens and closes with the curtain, and has hosted royalty and every kind of verse throughout drama's history.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one, Michael J Fox has a small one, Madonna doesn't have one, the Pope has one but he never uses it, Bill Clinton has one and he uses it all the time! What is it?
Schwarzenegger's surname is long, Fox's is short, Madonna performs under one name only, the Pope goes by a papal name instead, and Bill Clinton is famous for signing (using) his.
You can tumble in it, roll in it, burn it. Animals eat it. Used to cover floors, still used beyond stall doors. Freshens whatever it is placed on. Absorbs whatever is poured into it. What is it?
Hay is used for playful tumbling, animal feed and bedding, and floor covering in barns and stalls, soaking up moisture and odor wherever it's spread.
There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?
A watermelon has a green rind, a whitish layer beneath it, red flesh inside, and numerous black seeds ("babies") scattered throughout.
It can be cracked, it can be made, it can be told, it can be played. What is it?
You can 'crack' a joke, 'make' one up, 'tell' it to others, or 'play' a joke on someone, all common phrases for the same word.
A home of wood in a wooded place, but built not by hand. High above the earthen ground, it holds its pale blue gems. What is it?
A bird's nest is built naturally from twigs high in a tree, and it often holds pale blue eggs, like those of a robin.
Born at the same time as the world, destined to live as long as the world, and yet never five weeks old. What is it?
The moon has existed since almost the beginning of the world, but its visible phase resets every month, so it's never more than about four weeks 'old' at a time.
A mile from end to end, yet as close to 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?
This plays on the fact that the word 'smile' contains 'mile': it stretches from end to end across your face, yet is as close and freely given as a friend's affection.
The part of the bird, that is not in the sky, which can swim in the ocean and always stay dry. What is it?
A bird's shadow stays on the ground or water's surface while the bird itself flies overhead, and it can glide right over the ocean's surface without ever getting wet.
It's got twists and turns, but has no curves. Twist it to fix it, turn it to ruin it. What is it?
Solving a Rubik's Cube involves twisting its layers; the right twists solve it while random turns scramble it, and it's built entirely of straight edges with no curves.
The sharp slim blade, that cuts the wind. What is it?
Individual strands of grass are called 'blades' because of their thin, sharp shape, even though they only sway in the wind rather than cutting it.
Thousands of these come together to make a digital image. What is it?
A pixel is the tiniest single dot of color, and a digital photo is made of thousands of them arranged in a grid.
Round as an apple, deep as a cup, and all the king's horses can't fill it up. What is it?
A well's shaft goes so deep into the earth that no amount of water poured in from above can ever fill it to the top.
Round like a dishpan and smaller than a bathtub, but the ocean can't fill it. What is it?
A sieve's mesh bottom lets water pass straight through no matter how much you pour in, even an entire ocean's worth.
What is it that makes tears without sorrow and takes its journey to heaven?
Smoke stings the eyes and makes them water even though nothing is sad, and it drifts upward toward the sky as it rises.
It's something you always have but you always leave behind. What is it?
Your fingerprints are unique to you and travel everywhere with you, yet every surface you touch keeps a copy of them behind.
Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, but even a river can't fill it up. What is it?
A strainer is full of holes, so no matter how much water is poured through it -- even a river's worth -- it can never actually be filled up.
A hill full, a hole full; yet you cannot catch a bowl full. What is it?
Mist can settle thickly over hills and hollows, but because it's just suspended water vapor it slips through any container you try to scoop it with.
What is it that leaps and runs and yet, has no feet?
A ball bounces and rolls ('leaps and runs') across the ground, all without having any feet of its own.
Born of sorrow, grows with age. You need a lot to be a sage. What is it?
Wisdom often comes from enduring hardship and builds up over a lifetime, and having plenty of it is what makes someone a sage.
What is it that no man wants, but no man wants to lose?
Nobody wants to be sued, yet once a lawsuit begins nobody wants to end up on the losing side of it.
With pointed fangs it sits in wait, With piercing force it doles out fate, Over bloodless victims proclaiming its might, Eternally joining in a single bite. What is it?
A stapler's metal 'fangs' pierce paper (not flesh, so 'bloodless') and permanently join sheets together in a single bite.
I give milk and have a horn but I'm not a cow. Who am I?
A wordplay riddle: a milk truck "gives" (delivers) milk and has a horn (a vehicle horn), yet it obviously isn't a cow.
A box without hinges, lock or key, yet golden treasure lies within. Who am I?
An egg has no hinges, lock, or key, yet its golden yolk lies safely within the shell -- a classic riddle from Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
I shave several times a day, yet I still have a beard. Who am I?
A barber shaves customers' beards all day for a living, even though he himself may still be growing his own.
I always run but never walk, often murmur, never talk, have a bed but never sleep, have a mouth but never eat. Who am I?
A river continuously "runs" and murmurs softly, has a "bed" (riverbed) it never sleeps in, and a "mouth" (where it meets the sea) that never eats.
I'm a god, a planet, and measurer of heat. Who am I?
Mercury is a Roman god, the closest planet to the sun, and the liquid metal once used inside old-fashioned thermometers.
The more you have of me, the less you see. Who am I?
As darkness increases, visibility decreases -- the more darkness there is, the less you can see.
All about, but cannot be seen, Can be captured, cannot be held, No throat, but can be heard. Who am I?
Wind cannot be seen but can be felt and heard, and it can be "captured" (as in a sail or windmill) even though it has no physical throat to make noise.
I never was, am always to be, No one ever saw me, nor ever will, And yet I am the confidence of all, To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. Who am I?
Tomorrow never actually arrives as itself - once it comes, it's simply 'today' - yet the promise of it is what keeps everyone living and hoping.
I follow the orders of only two. I respect the work of only two. I am in constant battles with many, Though one surpassed them all. With forces joined, We created hell, Until our mutual enemy fell. Who am I?
Peeves the Poltergeist, from the Harry Potter series, answers only to the Bloody Baron and the Hogwarts Headmaster, causes mischief throughout the castle, and joined forces with others to help bring down Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Although I'm not an insect, some people found me very difficult to exterminate. They called me something like 'insane priest.' The first half of my name means the same as 'scrape,' & my last three letters are a metal. Who am I?
The clues spell out "Rasputin": the first part evokes "raze" (scrape/tear down) and the last three letters, "tin," are a metal. Grigori Rasputin was infamous for surviving repeated assassination attempts, making him legendarily "difficult to exterminate."
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.
How did the phone propose to his girlfriend on Valentine's Day?
"Ring" puns on both a phone call and an engagement ring.
What is hard to find but easy to lose, worth more than gold but costs less than a penny?
Good friends are valuable and hard to find, yet easily lost through neglect.
What did the pirate say on his 80th birthday?
This puns on 'eighty,' sounding like 'aye matey,' a stereotypical pirate phrase.
I am never right. I am often mistaken for being true. I am deceptive and many people use me as an enemy disguised as a friend. What am I?
A lie masquerades as the truth while never actually being right.
The less of them you have; the more one is worth. Who/What are they?
True friends become more valuable to you the fewer of them you have.
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.
My friend asked, "What rhymes with orange?".
It's a joke riddle because no common English word actually rhymes with "orange."
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.
The Pope has it but he does not use it. Your father has it but your mother uses it. Nuns do not need it. Your lady friend's husband has it and she uses it. What is it?
The Pope keeps a surname he no longer goes by, while a wife takes on her husband's.
I see without seeing. Noise is an ally. What am I?
Bats use echolocation, relying on sound rather than sight to navigate.
What's a pirate's favorite letter in the alphabet?
Pirates are stereotypically depicted growling "arr," which sounds like the letter R.
You are home alone and sleeping when your friends ring the doorbell. They have come for breakfast. You have cornflakes, bread, jam, a carton of milk, and a bottle of juice. What do you open first?
You must open your eyes before you can open anything else while waking up.
What do you call two math friends?
It's a pun blending "algebra" with "bros."
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.
A plane crashes between the America-Mexico border. There are ten people on the plane, not including the pilot. Where so you bury the survivors?
Survivors are alive, so no one needs to be buried at all.
What costs more than riches but doesn't cost a penny; that's also hard to find yet easy to lose?
A true friend is priceless yet costs nothing to have, while being hard to find and easy to lose.
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.
What is rarer and more valuable than gold, but easier to lose?
Genuine love or friendship is hard to find and precious, yet can be lost quickly through neglect or betrayal.
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.