236 Riddles for Kids and Adults - Brain Teasers to Make You Smarter
1. How can a room be full of people but not have a single person in it?
Everyone is married.
2. What type of key should you never use to open a door?
A donkey.
3. The more of these that are taken, the more that are left behind. What are they?
Footprints.
4. What five-letter word becomes shorter if you add a couple letters to it?
Short.
5. What is something that belongs to you but other people use more than you?
Your first name.
6. What is something you answer but never ask a question of?
A doorbell.
7. How did the old man fall off the 40-foot ladder but not break any bones?
He fell off the first step.
8. If a plane crashes on the border between two countries, how do they decide where to bury the survivors?
They don’t, because you wouldn’t bury a survivor.
9. What is something that’s soft and full of holes but still great at holding water?
A sponge.
10. If you have four oranges and you take away three, how many oranges do you have?
Three.
11. What can run but cannot walk?
Water.
12. How do people without x-ray vision look through a wall?
Using a window.
13. A cowboy rides into town on Friday, stays for five days, and then leaves town on Friday. How is this possible?
The horse’s name was Friday.
14. Two mothers and two daughters went out to see a movie but there was only room left in the theater for three people, which was fine with them. How did they all get seats?
There was only three of them. A daughter, her mother, and her grandmother.
15. What becomes wetter the more it dries?
A towel.
16. What can you 100% find at the end of rainbow?
The letter W.
17. What has a face and two hands but can never clap?
A clock.
18. What gets shorter as it gets older?
A candle.
19. How many months have 28 days?
All of them.
20. What is easy to catch, but impossible to throw?
The flu.
21. What is something that only gets sharper the more you use it?
Your brain.
22. If you’re running in a marathon and you pass the third place runner, what place are you in?
Third place.
23. What has a bed but never sleeps, and a mouth but never eats?
A river.
24. What type of coat can only be put on if it’s wet?
A coat of paint.
25. Bobby’s mother had three children. The first was named Emma, and the second was named Donald. What was the third named?
Bobby.
26. What’s black and white and thicker on Sundays?
A newspaper.
27. What is lighter than dust, but can’t be held by the world’s strongest person for even four minutes?
A deep breath.
28. What has four fingers and a thumb, but has never been alive?
A glove.
29. What has hundreds of keys but can’t open any doors?
A piano.
30. What is a cooking ingredient that is useless until you break it?
An egg.
31. When you’re looking for something, why is it always in the last place you look?
Because after you find it you stop looking!
32. What has a horn but cannot honk at cars?
A rhinoceros.
33. Why do dragons hunt during the day?
They don’t like knights.
34. What is as large as an elephant but doesn’t weight anything at all?
An elephant’s shadow.
35. What type of key is good at eating bananas, but bad at opening doors?
A monkey.
36. What animal likes to sleep with its shoes one?
A horse.
37. What has two heads, six legs, and a cowboy hat?
A cowboy riding a horse.
38. What do cats have that no other animal can?
Kittens.
39. I am easy to get into, but tough to get out of. What am I?
Trouble.
40. I have a neck, but no head, and am usually wearing a cap. What am I?
A bottle.
41. What can clap without having hands?
Thunder.
42. What goes up and down but never moves?
Stairs.
43. What spends all day flying in the same spot?
A flag.
44. What type of bet can never be lost as long as it’s written down?
The alphabet.
45. What kind of dress is always used but never worn?
An address.
46. I can be served, but never eaten. Hit but never bruised. What am I?
A tennis ball.
47. What has hundreds of limbs but is unable to walk?
A tree.
48. You can beat it, whip it, or scramble its brains but it’ll never complain. What is it?
An egg.
49. I can be caught, but never thrown. Alleviated but never cured. What am I?
The common cold.
50. What has a giant eye but can’t see anything?
A hurricane.
51. What is always coming soon, but never actually arrives?
Tomorrow.
52. What is something that can be broken, but weighs nothing, and can never be touched or held?
A promise.
53. In the morning I lose my head. At night my head returns. What am I?
A pillow.
54. What is something you hear every day, but can never touch or see?
Your own voice.
55. What is something that rich people need, and if you ate it every day at every meal you would die?
Nothing.
56. What is something that doubles in size if shared with someone else?
A secret.
57. I am seen only once in a year, but twice in a week. What am I?
The letter E.
58. The more you take from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
A hole.
59. It never eats, but gets full once a month. What is it?
The Moon.
60. What is something that can be kept, but only after giving it to someone else?
Your word.
61. What is something that gets bigger the more it eats, but if it drinks it will die?
A fire.
62. I have no legs, but if you keep me safe and warm then one day I’ll be able to run. What am I?
An egg.
63. What gets shorter as it gets older?
A candle.
64. To use it, you throw it away. When you’re done with it, you drag it back inside. What is it?
An anchor.
65. What is brought out every night for dinner, but never eaten?
A plate.
66. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps.
67. I have lakes and rivers, but no water. Forests and mountains, but no trees or animals. What am I?
A map.
68. What is something that isn’t alive, but eventually will die?
A battery.
69. What has no legs, never walks, and always runs?
A river.
70. I cannot be stopped and can defeat even the mightiest of warriors. What am I?
Time.
71. What can’t speak or hear, but always tells the truth?
A mirror.
72. What doesn’t have wings, but can’t fly, and doesn’t have eyes, but can cry?
A cloud.
73. What kind of room has no doors or windows and is sometimes poisonous?
A mushroom.
74. What can be found at the center of gravity?
The letter V.
75. What is something you experienced recently but will never see again?
Yesterday.
76. What travels through towns, and over mountains, but never moves?
A road.
77. If Mr. Yellow lives in the yellow house, and Mr. Red lives in the red house, who lives in the White House?
The president.
78. What weighs more, a pound of dust or a pound of gold?
Neither. They both weigh a pound.
79. Why did the mother put candy under the baby’s pillow?
She wanted her to have sweet dreams.
80. What type of cup is bad at holding water, but great at holding sugar?
A cupcake.
81. What are the only two things nobody has ever eaten for breakfast?
Lunch and dinner.
82. I have a giant ring, but no fingers. What am I?
Saturn.
83. What do you call a nose that’s 12 inches long?
A foot.
84. What type of bank is bad at storing money?
A riverbank.
85. When does a car stop being a car?
When it turns into a parking lot.
86. How do rabbits travel to other countries?
They take the hare plane.
87. What did the thief get when he stole a calendar?
12 months.
88. Why don’t people like playing sports with pigs?
Because they always hog the ball.
89. When are sailors unable to play cards?
When the captain is standing on the deck.
90. How can a shirt pocket be empty, but still have something in it?
There’s a hole in it.
91. Why was T the island’s favorite letter?
Because it’s in the middle of “water.”
92. How do you make the number one disappear?
Add the letter G to the start of “one.”
93. What has four legs but can’t run or walk?
A table.
94. What invention allows human to look through walls and operate their computers?
Windows.
95. What travels in a pack, but isn't alive?
Cigarettes (or bubble gum!)
96. If you throw a blue stone into the Red Sea, what would it become?
Wet.
97. What part of you keeps getting larger as you grow older?
Your age.
98. What comes out at night, but vanishes in the day without being stolen?
Bats.
99. If an electric car is travelling north at 50 miles-an-hour, and the wind is blowing south at 25 miles-an-hour, which direction do the exhaust fumes blow in?
They don’t. Electric cars don’t have exhaust fumes.
100. What kind of tree can you carry with only one hand?
A palm tree.
101. What breaks when you say its name?
Silence.
102. How hard do you have to throw a ball in order for it to come back to you?
Not hard at all. Just toss it straight up.
103. Why was the door not a door?
Because it was ajar.
104. What kind of ship has two first mates, but no captain?
A relationship.
105. Where is the only place that Thursday comes before Wednesday?
The dictionary.
106. How many letters are there in the Roman alphabet.
Sixteen. T-H-E-R-O-M-A-N-A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T
107. Three girls jumped into a pool, but only two got their hair wet. All of them dunked their heads on under water, and none of them were wearing shower caps. How is this possible?
One of the girls was bald.
108. How many months have 28 days?
All of them.
109. Why aren’t people living in Japan allowed to be buried in China?
They aren’t dead!
110. You can’t use it until you break it, but if you drop it, it becomes useless. What is it?
An egg.
111. Which letter in the alphabet contains the most water?
The letter C.
112. Why did the young girl bury her flashlight in the garden next to her hamster?
Because the batteries had died.
113. Which word starts with E, ends with E, but usually only contains a single letter?
Envelope.
114. Everybody has one, but nobody has ever lost theirs. What is it?
A shadow.
115. Which word can be used as a noun for a fruit, bird, or person?
Kiwi.
116. What has wings, can fly in the sky, but isn’t a bird?
An airplane.
117. What object is as hard as a rock, but melts when placed in hot water?
Ice.
118. I am very heavy, but can float. I’m made of water, but am not wet. What am I?
A cloud.
119. What is something that is great to taste, but terrible to smell with?
A tongue.
120. I carry around lots of food, but have never eaten anything. What am I?
A refrigerator.
121. I have lots of teeth, but have never chewed anything. What am I?
A comb.
122. What type of brush is great for swimming?
The brushstroke.
123. On average, how people are dead in a church cemetery?
All of them.
124. What do you call a camel with three humps?
Pregnant.
125. What is something that is very easy to spot, but almost impossible to find?
Talent.
126. What has a soul, but isn’t alive, and a tongue, but can’t taste anything?
A shoe.
127. A man was shot in the heart with twenty bullets, but didn’t die. How was this possible?
He was already a corpse.
128. What is black when it’s clean, and white when it gets dirty?
A chalkboard.
129. What type of table is best for your health?
A vegetable.
130. What is something that has two ends, but doesn’t have a beginning?
Rope.
131. What is something that both babies and professional basketball players are equally good at?
Dribbling.
132. What falls, but never breaks?
Nighttime.
133. If your uncle’s sister is not your aunt, then what is her relationship to you?
She’s your mother.
134. What is something that goes up and down, and when separated becomes both the present and the past?
A seesaw.
135. You walk into a barn and find a cow, a horse, and a giant sheep. What is the smartest animal in the barn?
You are. (Hopefully!)
136. David was born on January 1st, but his birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?
David lives in Australia.
137. What object does its job every morning but we still get angry at it?
An alarm clock.
138. People always ask for me, but hate to face me. What am I?
The truth.
139. What vegetable do sailors hate to find on their ships?
Leeks.
140. Why is the letter B always nice and cool?
It’s between A and C. (Air Conditioning)
141. Two boys who look identical both have the same mother, were born on the same day, at the same time, in the same room, and delivered by the same doctor. These boys are not twins. How is this possible?
They’re part of a set of triplets. (There’s a third brother.)
142. I have thirteen hearts, but I’m not alive. What am I?
A deck of cards.
143. Why don’t professional baseball players ever get hot?
The stadium is full of fans.
144. If you put me in hot water I start out black. After a few minutes I turn red. What am i?
A lobster.
145. Most people need it, but rarely ask for it, and losers never take it. What is it?
Good advice.
146. What can be written, spoken, and broken, and gets stale after only a few hours?
News.
147. What object is buried when alive, and dug up once it’s dead?
A plant.
148. What can be dropped from any height and not be destroyed, but is destroyed instantly when placed in water?
Paper.
149. Why are snails such a popular restaurant food in France?
The French don’t like eating fast food.
150. A university professor has a class of 400 students, but only one pupil. How is this possible?
He’s missing an eye.
151. What is a ninja’s favorite type of shoe?
Sneakers.
152. Two mothers and two daughters walk into a store. They each buy a dress for $10, but only $30 was spent in total. How is this possible?
There’s a girl, a mother, and a grandmother. The mother is both a daughter and a mother.
153. How many birthdays does the average person have in their life?
One.
154. What cannot be stopped and can fly without wings?
Time.
155. Two boys are playing checkers. They each play three games. Both boys win two games. How is this possible?
They weren’t playing each other.
156. What do you put on a table, cut in half, but never eat or drink?
A deck of cards.
157. I have wheels and flies but I’m not an airplane. What am i?
A garbage truck.
158. How is it possible that frogs can jump five feet in the air, but can’t jump through windows that are two feet high?
The windows are closed.
159. What touches both the ground and the sky, but if it touches you then you’ll probably die?
Lightning.
160. How can you spell “goodbye” using only two letters?
C and U.
161. There are 10 apple and 10 children. Each takes an apple and leaves. Nine apples are left. How is this possible?
Each was the child’s name.
162. Who is the only man who can shave 15 times a day, but still have a full beard?
The barber.
163. What is something you can give away a hundred times, but only lose if you stop paying your bills?
Your phone number.
164. People spend a lot of money on me, but never want to use me. What am I?
Insurance.
165. A woman asks the same question seven times in an hour, and each time gets a different answer. All of the answers are correct. What question did she ask?
What time is it?
166. Who was the president of the USA before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?
Abraham Lincoln.
167. What do Dave the Dinosaur and Larry the Pig have in common?
They both have the same middle name.
168. Who would win a foot race, hot or cold?
Hot would win, because it’s easy to catch a cold.
169. What is easy to measure but impossible to see?
Time.
170. Which word has 6 letters, but contains 12 when you last away the last letter?
Dozens.
171. I man orders an iced tea and drinks it all in five seconds. It contained deadly poison, but the man doesn’t die. Why not?
The poison was in the ice. It never had a chance to melt!
172. A man bought something from a store, and took it home to break it, but it wouldn’t break so he returned it and said it was defective. What was it?
A piñata.
173. What is something that gets wetter the longer you leave it under a blazing sun?
Ice.
174. How many words are spelled wrong in the average dictionary?
One: the word wrong.
175. What sits on a bridge and protects you from bright light?
Sunglasses.
176. How many women are born every year in Canada?
Zero. Only babies are born.
177. What is the only job where driving away customers is a good thing?
Taxi driver.
178. Why was six afraid of seven?
Because seven eight nine.
179. I have married many people, but have been single my entire life. What am I?
A priest.
180. What is very expensive, connects two people, but only touches one of them?
An engagement ring.
181. A woman has six daughters. Each daughter has a brother. How many children does she have?
Seven.
182. Jane’s mother had three daughters. The first was named April. The second was named May. What was the third named?
Jane.
183. Before the cheetah was discovered, what was the fastest animal on the planet?
The cheetah.
184. I walk on four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three feet at night. What am I?
Man. (Baby, adult, old man with cane.)
185. The faster you run the harder it is to catch this. What is it?
Your breath.
186. Your father’s brother’s only sister-in-law is sleeping on your sofa. Who is sleeping on your sofa?
Your mother.
187. There are four days in the week that start with the letter T. What are they?
Tuesday, Thursday, Today, and Tomorrow.
188. A man leaves home. He starts running. He turns three left times, and gets back home and finds two men wearing masks. Who are the men?
The umpire and the catcher. The man is a baseball player.
189. I am black when bought, red when used, and grey when tossed away. What am I?
Charcoal.
190. I have four fingers and a thumb and am often seen outside, but I’m not alive. What am I?
A glove.
191. What do you find in the middle of Texas?
The letter X.
192. If you’re in a race and you run past the person in second place, what place are you in?
Second place.
193. What is great the first time, okay the second time, and awful the third time?
A joke.
194. How far can a rabbit run into a dark forest?
Halfway. Once he reaches the halfway point then he’s running out of it.
195. How many tacos can the average man eat if his stomach is empty?
One. Then it’s not empty any more.
196. Where can the deepest part of the ocean be found?
At the very bottom.
197. What do tigers have that no other animal does?
Baby tigers.
198. What type of cheese is made backwards?
Edam.
199. I have a head, a tail, I’m tiny and brown, and some countries hate me so much they destroyed all my friends. What am I?
A penny.
200. Mickey Mouse’s father had three children. The first was named Snap. The second was named Crackle. What was the third one’s name?
Mickey.
201. What is a zombie’s favorite room in the house?
The living room.
202. A woman lives in a one-story house made entirely of oak. What color are the stairs?
What stairs? It’s a one-story house!
203. I have twelve faces, but no nose. I have 42 eyes, but can’t see. What am I?
A pair of dice.
204. A taxi driver went through a stop sign and then turned right on a street with a sign that said NO RIGHT TURNS. A police officer saw him do this but didn’t write him a ticket. Why not?
The taxi driver was walking.
205. I weigh nothing but can fill an entire room. What am I?
Light.
206. What can run around an entire soccer field without moving an inch?
A fence.
207. I travel around the world, but I only ever stay in one spot. What am I?
A stamp.
208. A man shot his wife, but didn’t go to jail. Why not?
He’s a photographer.
209. This object has a head, and a tail, but no body. What is it?
A coin
210. Kevin is six feet tall and works at the butcher’s shop. What does he weigh?
Meat.
211. How many snakes did Moses bring on the ark?
Zero. It was Noah who went on the ark.
212. If you peel of my skin I won’t cry, but you might. What am I?
An onion.
213. What do scientists know for certain is at the end of a rainbow?
The letter W.
214. Why aren’t people in Switzerland allowed to marry their widow’s siblings?
Because they’re dead.
215. There are 10 apples in a fruit bowl. You take away 7. How many apples do you have?
Seven.
216. How was the magician able to predict the score of any football game before it had started?
All games start at 0-0.
217. Why do Chinese women eat more rice than Canadian women?
There are more Chinese women than Canadian women.
218. A murderer is sentenced to death. He’s given a choice of three doors. Behind the first door are ninjas who will attack him with swords. Behind the second door is a grandmother with a toaster. Behind the third door is a tiger that hasn’t eaten in years. If he chooses the safest door, he will live. Which door should he choose?
The third door because if the tiger hasn’t eaten in years, then it’s super dead.
219. I am long or short, and can be grown or purchased. I am with you all the time. What am I?
Fingernails.
220. What has two legs but they only touch the ground when it isn’t moving?
A wheelbarrow.
221. Keeping me is a good idea. Once I’m lost though, others nearby might start losing their as well. What am I?
Your temper.
222. What weighs less the larger it gets?
Popcorn.
223. What has no arms, no legs, but is strong enough to tunnel through the Earth?
An earthworm.
224. What is the only thing we know for sure is between Earth and Heaven?
The word and.
225. I hold more information than any computer in the world, but if you plug me into the wall, I would die. What am i?
Your brain.
226. I am known as the king of a place, even though I don’t even live there. When I yell, it can be heard for miles. What am i?
A lion. (Lions don’t live in the jungle.)
227. What has a long neck and is both an animal and a machine?
A crane.
228. I make the walls less dull, but am not a window. I come in many colors, but am not a painting. What am I?
Wallpaper.
229. When going forward, I am heavy. When read backwards, I am not. What am I?
The word ton.
230. A woman was born in 1928, and died 100 years later in 1828. She didn’t use a time machine. How is this possible?
She was born in 1928 B.C.
231. I can breathe but cannot talk. I can run but cannot walk. What am I?
Your nose.
232. You start with two. Take one away and now you have none. What is it?
A choice between two things.
233. I have a heart but it never beats. I’m alive but I never eat. What am I?
A city.
234. I can wake you up, but consume too much of me and you’ll sleep forever. What am I?
Caffeine.
235. What is always around, but not always round?
The Moon.
236. Young or old, warm or cold, we come in many colors, but in the end we’re all the same. What are we?
Humans.
