Word riddles to solve

Think you are proficient at word riddles? The staff of Riddles and Answers has compiled one of the greatest collections of worded riddles with answers(included underneath them).

The difficulty of these puzzles range from beginner to medium difficulty levels and tend to be most entertaining for children of all ages. Word riddles are great for improving literacy skills in children, and are a fun interactive way to get children to learn without being too forceful in their learning.

So take a look around our word puzzles section, and be sure to check out other sections on this site. There are many which you can use with children to help develop and maintain their mental sharpness.

Can you name the words that these riddles describe? Good luck.

The letter ‘R’

Once in a YEAR

Twice in a month: FEBRUARY

Thrice in a week: SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY

4-times in a day:

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE {A.M.}

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE {P.M.}

Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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Can you come up with a cool, funny or clever Word Riddles of your own? Post it below (without the answer) to see if you can stump our users.

1. What do you call a bear with no teeth?

A gummy bear.

2. Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself?

Because it was two-tired.

3. What do you call a sleeping bull?

A bulldozer.

4. What did one hat say to the other?

«You stay here, I’ll go on ahead.»

5. Why did the tomato turn red?

Because it saw the salad dressing.

6. What do you call a horse that’s been knighted?

Sir Loin.

7. How does a penguin build its house?

Igloos it together.

8. What do you call a snake with a great sense of humor?

A hissterical comedian.

9. Why do hummingbirds hum?

Because they don’t know the words.

10. Where do pencils like to live?

In a pencil-cil.

11. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a shark?

Frostbite.

12. Why did the chicken cross the playground?

To get to the other slide.

13. What do you call a fake noodle?

An impasta.

14. What do you call a deer with no eyes?

No-eye deer.

15. What do you call a fat psychic?

A four-chin teller.

16. Why did the scarecrow win an award?

Because he was outstanding in his field.

17. What do you call a lazy kangaroo?

A pouch potato.

18. Why did the grape stop in the middle of the road?

Because it ran out of juice.

19. What do you call a smiling camel?

A humpback jubilee.

20. What did the big flower say to the little flower?

«Hi, bud!»

21. What do you call a group of cows playing instruments?

A moo-sical band.

22. Why did the cookie go to the doctor?

Because it was feeling crummy.

23. What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work?

A can’t opener.

24. Why did the banana go to jail?

Because it was peeling.

25. What do you call an alligator that works on Wall Street?

An investi-gator.

26. Why did the chicken go to the seance?

To talk to the other side.

27. What does a nosy pepper do?

It gets jalapeno business.

28. What does one tomato say to the other?

«You’re a-peeling.»

29. What do you call a bear with no ears?

B.

30. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?

Frostbite.

31. What did the grape say when it got stepped on?

Nothing, it just let out a little whine.

32. What do you call an owl magician?

Hoodini.

33. Why did the mushroom go to the party?

Because he was a fungi.

34. What do you call the answer to a riddle nobody gets?

A mystery-tour.

35. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a rattlesnake?

Frost bite.

36. What do you get when you cross a hen and a cement mixer?

A brick layer.

37. Why did the scarecrow go to the beach?

To catch some rays.

38. Why did the frog call his insurance company?

He had a jump in his car.

39. What do you call an alligator in a vest?

An investigator.

40. What did the grape say to the raisin?

«Why do you look so wrinkled?»

41. What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?

A thesaurus.

42. What do you call a camel with three humps?

Pregnant.

43. Why did the tomato turn green?

Because it was green with envy.

44. What did the duck say when it bought lipstick?

«Put it on my bill.»

45. What do you call a snobbish criminal going down stairs?

A condescending con descending.

46. What do you call a flower that plays video games?

A joystick-eye daisy.

47. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a lawnmower?

Frost cut grass.

48. What does a clock do when it’s hungry?

It goes back four seconds.

49. Why did the bicycle fall over?

Because it was two-tired.

50. What do you call a banana with sunburn?

A tropical fruit.

Word riddles aren’t just fun to solve—they help us to exercise creative thinking. The magic of word riddles lies in how well you can describe everyday objects. These riddles are a great way to stimulate minds, both for adults and kids. When it comes to children, word riddles can help expand their perspectives. When presented with a unique way to describe things, they will learn to broaden their horizons.

We’ve put together a collection of 30 word riddles that you can enjoy with your friends and family. Use them as an activity for your students in school, or try them out at home. We’re sure you’ll have everyone laughing and learning in no time!

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Treat Yourself to Game Night

Word riddles are fantastic learning tools, but did you know that game nights are also fun and educational? It’s true! They help kids to develop social skills. Let’s be real, though, game nights are super fun and that’s the main reason we love them. Let’s Roam provided all of the tools you need for a virtual game night with family and friends all over the world. Our easy-to-use video interface allows up to 16 connections and you can choose from over 15 game options, from trivia to guessing games. For just one low monthly fee, you and yours can enjoy unlimited game nights every month. Try it today!

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1. Riddle: What has 18 legs and catches flies?
Answer: A baseball team.

2. Riddle: The poor have me; the rich need me. Eat me and you will die. What am I?
Answer: Nothing.

3. Riddle: What has 13 hearts but no other organs?
Answer: A deck of cards.

4. Riddle: Four jolly men sat down to play and played all night, ’til the break of day. They played for cash and not for fun, with a separate score for everyone. When it came time to square accounts, they’d all had made quite fair amounts. Not one had lost and all had gained, so tell me how. Can you explain?
Answer: The men were in a band.

5. Riddle: I have branches but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I?
Answer: A bank.

6. Riddle: What word contains all of the twenty-six letters?
Answer: Alphabet.

7. Riddle: What do you get when you mix lemons with gun powder?
Answer: Lemonades.

8. Riddle: What is the longest word in the English language?
Answer: Smiles – Because there’s a ‘mile’ between the two S’s

9. Riddle: What five-letter word can be read the same upside down or right side up?
Answer: Swims.

10. Riddle: Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?
Answer: Incorrectly.

Want more? Our ultimate list of riddles will up your guessing game!

11. Riddle: You are walking down a road and come to a fork. One path leads to certain death; the other leads to eternal happiness. You don’t know which is which. In the middle of the fork, you come across two brothers who know which road is which. One brother always tells the truth and the other always lies. You can only ask them one question. How would you determine which road to take?
Answer: Ask each brother, “if you were your brother, which road would you say leads to eternal happiness?” Both brothers should give you the same answer. You would take the opposite path.

12. Riddle: What has a head and a tail, but no body or legs?
Answer: A coin.

13. Riddle: What color can you eat?
Answer: Orange.

14. Riddle: What do you call a three-humped camel?
Answer: Pregnant.

15. Riddle: Which word is the odd one out—stun, ton, evil, letter, mood, bad, snap, straw?
Answer: Letter. If you read each word backward, letter is the only one that does not make another valid word.

16. Riddle: I am a solitary word, 5 letters long. Behead me once, I am the same. Behead me again, I am still the same.
Answer: Alone

17. Riddle: What is one thing that all wise men, regardless of their politics or religion, have to agree is between heaven and earth?
Answer: The word “and.”

18. Riddle: Which is correct to say: “the yolk of the egg are white” or “the yolk of the egg is white?”
Answer: Neither! Yolks are yellow.

19. Riddle: What has many words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.

20. Riddle: You’ll often find us on a line. When we’re together, it’s a crime. What are we?
Answer: Crows. A group of crows is called a “murder.”

So many word riddles! We’ve also got math riddles for the number lovers.

21. Riddle: If I am holding a bee, what do I have in my eye?
Answer: Beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder.

22. Riddle: They come at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they?
Answer: Stars.

23. Riddle: What word, describing a job title, has three consecutive double letters?
Answer: Bookkeeper

24. Riddle: I touch the earth and I touch the sky, but if I touch you, you’ll likely die. What am I?
Answer: Lightning.

25. Riddle: If there are five apples and you take away three, how many apples do you have?
Answer: Three.

26. Riddle: What four-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right?
Answer: NOON.

27. Riddle: I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me—I’m too fragile. What am I?
Answer: A bubble.

28. Riddle: You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?
Answer: An ear of corn.

29. Riddle: Pronounced as one letter and written with three, two letters there are and two only in me. I’m double. I’m single. I’m black, blue, and gray. I’m read from both ends, but the same either way. What am I?
Answer: Eye.

30. Riddle: If you throw me out the window, you’ll leave a grieving wife, but drop me in the middle of a door, and you might just save a life. What am I?
Answer: The letter N.

If you’re looking for more suggestions, try our ultimate list of 150 riddles.

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Which of our word riddles got you thinking? Do you have any favorite riddles? Shout them out in the comments section!

We have lots of fun ideas for children, including family-friendly scratch-off adventures, indoor activities for kids to enjoy on a rainy day, hilariously bad dad jokes, and crafts for kids inspired by nature.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We start learning riddles when we are very young, but never seem to tire of the fun of trying to guess a riddle’s answer. As we get older, we are able to solve progressively harder riddles. Hopefully, you are reading this article because you are ready for a challenge. Let’s start with some preparation, just in case you need it.

Tips for Solving Hard Riddles

1. Think long and hard before you attempt an answer.
   Riddles are designed so that the first answer you think of is usually wrong. The goal is to misdirect you by presenting what appears to be an obvious answer. Stop and think some more before you take a guess.
2. Practice by solving progressively harder riddles.
   This article starts with some hard, short, one-line riddles. Then we have some hard “What Am I?” riddles. Next, we challenge you with some long story riddles. Finally, we have some tough logic riddles to really challenge your mind. Each time you successfully answer a riddle, your ability to solve riddles becomes better.
3. Look for patterns, hints, and ask yourself, “What is really the question here?”
   You will notice that some riddles are based upon letters and some on numbers. Sometimes, the answer is built right into the riddle. Some riddles are based upon double meanings, for example, words like haul and hall. Once you begin to notice the patterns, solving riddles becomes easier.
4. Break down the riddle into parts and answer each one.
   Longer riddles are easier to solve if you break them down into parts and solve each one. This works especially well for logic and story riddles. Remember that every word and punctuation mark is important.
5. Repeating the riddle can help you find the solution.
   Read the riddle multiple times or ask the person who is reciting the riddle to say it more than once. Familiarity with the words in the riddle helps and the more you read the riddle, the more you are apt to see the clues that provide an answer.

Now, it’s time to challenge yourself with some hard riddles with answers!

Short Hard Riddles

Our hard, short, one-line riddles are great for sharing with your friends and family. They are easy to remember, fun, and help relieve stress. These short, hard riddles work well for a team game; see which team can answer the most riddles. Alternatively, set a timer to see which team is the fastest.

• How can you make six into an odd number?
• What water can you eat and chew?
• What kind of tables do not have legs?
• What do you get if you add two blackberries and five apples?
• What’s fluffy, cute, huggable, and goes up and down?
• A barrel of water weighs 60 pounds. What must you put in it for it to weigh 40 pounds?
• How many seconds are there in January?
• What can you find in here, there, and everywhere?
• What is there one of in every corner and two of in every room?
• What building has the most stories?
• What grows up while growing down?
• What can you fill with empty hands?
• What word looks the same upside down and backward?
• What time of day is spelled the same forwards and backwards?
• My head is red but turns black when you scratch it. What am I?
• What word describes a woman who does not have all her fingers on one hand?
• What loses its head in the morning but gets it back at night?
• What can’t be burned in a fire nor drowned in the water?
• What can fill an entire room without taking up any space?
• What is deaf, dumb and blind but always tells the truth?
• What tastes better than it smells?
• How far can a dog run into the woods?
• What can you keep after giving it to someone?
• What cannot talk but will always reply when spoken to?
• What do you answer even though it never asks you questions?
• What word of five letters has only one left when two letters are removed?
• Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow’s sister?
• Where is the ocean the deepest?

“What Am I?” Riddles – Hard

Probably some of the earliest riddles you learned as a child were the “What Am I?” riddles. Well, we have some tricky ones for you. Once you see the answer, you may say to yourself, “Well, that was easy.” However, that is one sign of a good riddle; hard to answer, but then it seems obvious. Have fun with our hard “What Am I?” riddles.

• Each day many people all over the world come and visit me. They usually only stay for a couple of minutes. I am considered by many to be very dirty, yet few people would want to live without me. Whenever people come to see me, they show a part of themselves that they rarely show to others. What am I?
• When you need me, you throw me away.
  When you don’t need me, you bring me back.
  What am I?
• I have many faces, expressions, and emotions, and I am only one tap away.
  What am I?
• I have branches. yet I have no leaves, no trunk, and no fruit.
  What am I?
• First, you throw away the outside. Then, you cook the inside. And, then you eat the outside and throw away the inside.
  What am I?
• What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
• I have four legs, but no hair.
  People ride me for hours,
  But don’t go anywhere.
  Without needing to be tugged or turned on,
  I always manage to be ready for work.
  What am I?
• A word I know, six letters it contains,
  Remove one letter, and twelve remain.
  What am I?
• The more you take, the more you leave behind.
  What am I?
• If a man carried my burden,
  He would break his back.
  I am not big, but I leave silver in my tracks.
  What am I?
• From the beginning of eternity to the end of time and space, to the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What am I?
• When I’m used, I’m useless,
  Once offered, soon rejected.
  In desperation I’m oft expressed.
  What am I?
• I am a word of three syllables, each of which is a word.
  My first is an article in common use.
  My second, is a mammal of uncommon intelligence.
  My third, though not an animal, is used in carrying burdens.
  Put me all together and I am a useful art.
  What am I?
• I’m done to boats, to cargo, to loads.
  When indoors I am, in a way, a narrow road.
  What am I?
• I am served at a table,
  In gatherings of two.
  I am served small, white, and round.
  You’ll lose some;
  That’s part of the fun.
  What am I?
• I am at the beginning of all.
  I am at the end of eternity.
  I have a center path.
  My whole embodies indifference.
  What am I?
• I can flutter and take your breath away.
  I can take a beating, but do not bruise.
  If I stopped you would be sure to lose.
  All day and night, I am with you.
  What am I?

Hard Logic Riddles

Our hard logic riddles, as the name implies, provide a real challenge. Make sure you stop and think hard before guessing the answer. Some of them are sure to stump you.

• A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All the sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by. What color is the bear?
• Mr. Green has 4 sons. Each of his sons has a sister. How many children does Mr. Green have?
• One big hockey fan claimed to be able to tell the score before any game. How did he do it?
• It is shorter than the rest, but when you’re happy, you raise it up like it’s the best. What is it?
• You can carry it everywhere you go, and it does not get heavy. What is it?
• A bus driver goes the wrong way on a one-way street. He passes the cops, but they don’t stop him. Why?
• What falls, but never breaks? What breaks, but never falls?
• It is an insect, and the first part of its name is the name of another insect. What is it?
• There is a boat with a ladder attached to it. The ladder is eight feet tall. If the water rises four feet, how much of the ladder will be on top of the water?
• Walk on the living, they don’t even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. What are they?
• The man who invented it doesn’t want it for himself. The man who buys it doesn’t buy it for himself. And, the man who needs it, doesn’t know he needs it. What is it?
• A man is driving along and sees three doors: a diamond door, a ruby door, and an emerald door. Which does he open first?
• Jim and Tom decided to play tennis against each other. They bet$1 on each game they played. Jim won three bets and Tom won $5. How many games did they play?
• How can you add eight 8’s to get the number 1000?

Hard Story Riddles

Many riddle solvers consider hard story riddles to be no only the most difficult, but also the most fun. Remember, if you choose to share a story riddle, you do not have to do so verbatim. You can vary the names and the story as long as the clues are included and in the right order. See how you can do with our hard story riddles.

The Most Intelligent Prince

A king wants his daughter to marry the smartest of three extremely intelligent young princes, and so the king’s wise men devise an intelligence test.

The princes are gathered into a room and seated, facing one another. They are shown two black hats and three white hats. They are blindfolded, and one hat is placed on each of their heads. The remaining hats hidden in a different room.

The king tells the three princes that the first prince to deduce the color of his hat without removing it or looking at it will marry his daughter. A wrong guess will mean death.

The blindfolds are removed. You are one of the princes. You see two white hats on the other prince’s heads. After some time, you realize that the other princes are confused about the color of their hat, or are afraid to guess. After some thought, you tell the king the color of your hat. What is it?

The Captain’s Story

The captain of a ship told an interesting story.

“I have traveled the oceans far and wide. One time, two of my sailors were standing on opposite sides of the ship. One was looking west and the other one east. And at the same time, they could see each other clearly. Can you tell me how that was possible?”

Peas and Lentils

A poor farmer went to the market to sell his peas and lentils. However, he had only one sack and didn’t want to mix peas and lentils. So, he poured in the peas first, tied the sack in the middle, and then filled the top portion of the sack with the lentils.

At the market an innkeeper happened by with his own empty sack. He wanted to buy the peas, but he did not want the lentils.

Pouring the seed anywhere else but the sacks was not possible. Trading sacks would not work, nor did the farmer wish to cut a hole in his sack.

How did the farmer transfer his peas to the innkeeper’s sack?

Prison Break

A young man is arrested while on vacation for a minor infraction. He is put in a cell with a dirt floor and only one window. Although the window has no bars, it is too high for him to reach. The only thing in the cell is a shovel. He knows he won’t get any food or water. He only has two days to escape or he’ll die. The man can’t dig a tunnel because it will take him much longer than two days to do it. How will he escape from the cell?

A School Murder

On the first day of school, someone murdered the English teacher. There were four people at the school that the police suspected had done it: the janitor, a history teacher, a basketball coach, and the principal. These were their alibis:

• The janitor said he was cleaning the bathrooms.
• The history teacher said he was giving a mid-year test.
• The basketball coach said he was running practice drills with his players.
• The principal said he was in his office.

After giving their alibies, the police arrested the killer immediately. Who killed the English teacher and how did the police know?

Poisonous Drinks

Maria and Judith went out for drinks together after work one evening. They ordered the same drink. Judith was very thirsty and much more of a drinker than Maria. She finished five drinks in the time it took Maria to finish only one.

The drinks were poisoned, but only Maria died. Why?

Love and a Funeral

Sophia, a young girl was at the funeral of her mother. She met a nice young man that she had never seen before and after the service they spent a bit of time together. Then she got busy with other people and she did not get his name or phone number before he left. She made every effort to find him, but no one knew who he was or how to contact him. A few weeks later her older sister dies and the police suspect murder. Who killed the sister?

Well, there you go; plenty of hard riddles to challenge even the most proficient riddler. Share the short hard riddles with your friends. Test your friends and family with the hard logic riddles and the “What Am I?” riddles. And don’t forget the story riddles. You might find it fun to turn some of the non-story riddles in to story riddles. Simply add some names, details, and clues and create an imaginary scenario. Have fun and riddle on!

by Rachel

There is no one out there more annoying than people who only see being good at math and hard sciences as signs of intelligence. It is a boring and, quite frankly, incorrect way of thinking.

There are so many different kinds of cleverness and these riddles will really get you thinking. Probably one of the best ways to test if your brain is working is to solve some riddles.

They require you to think carefully, listen to the question and to really think out of the box. Once you figure out the answer, you’ll see that it was obvious all along.

1. What?

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1. Yum!

2. Physic?

2. Or just a smartass?

3. A miscarriage of justice?

3. Or medical anomaly?

4. Okay these women are NOT twins

4. They’re triplets!

5. No math required!

5. If you only have one, you don’t have…

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Are you very verbal? Are you good at understanding the written word and playing with it? Then you’ll love this category, filled with challenging word play riddles!

All language riddles that need word play to solve, including word play riddles, reading riddles and pun riddles.

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Here you find our popular collection of word riddles and other interesting and fun word puzzles and brain teasers of all kinds.
To solve the puzzles, you have to let your imagination run wild and see beyond logic to find the correct answer!

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From a word of 5 letters, take 2 letters and have 1?

Category: Letter RiddlesTopics: Word

I am a solitary word, 5 letters long. Behead me once, I am the same. Behead me again, I am still the same.

Category: Miscellaneous RiddlesTopics: Word

I am a word of letters three, add two and fewer there will be. What am I?

Category: What I AmTopics: Word

I have three letters.
I read the same forward and backwards.
I know you’ll get the answer, I know you’ll see.
It’s a word that is important to you and me.

What word am I?

Category: What I AmTopics: Body, Word

There is a word and six letters it contains. Take one away and twelve is what remains. What word is it?

Category: Miscellaneous RiddlesTopics: Word

What begins with T, ends with T and has T in it?

Category: Riddles for KidsTopics: Word

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What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

Category: Riddles for KidsTopics: Word

What has words but never speaks?

Category: Riddles for KidsTopics: Book, Word

What is a five letter word which becomes shorter with two letters added onto it?

Category: Miscellaneous RiddlesTopics: Word

What is the word that is spelled incorrectly in all dictionaries?

Category: Miscellaneous RiddlesTopics: Word

What seven letter word becomes longer when the third letter is removed?

Category: Letter RiddlesTopics: Word

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What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?

Category: Letter RiddlesTopics: Word

With potent, flowery words speak I,
Of something common, vulgar, dry;
I weave webs of pedantic prose,
In effort to befuddle those,
Who think I wile time away,
In lofty things, above all day
The common kind that linger where
Monadic beings live and fare;
Practical I may not be,
But life, it seems, is full of me!

Category: Classical riddlesTopics: Life, Word