85 Tough But Fun Riddles for Kids and Adults
Time to grab your thinking cap. These brain teasers will keep you guessing! 🧩
Last updated: May 1, 2024 by Michelle
Riddle me this: What’s a great way to break the ice at a party, entertain your friends, or get a group of kids thinking? Riddles, of course. I love solving a good riddle, whether it's a word game or a logic puzzle. They’re an awesome way to help kick off a party or gathering with an interesting game, or maybe you're trying to entertain your grandkids over a video chat. You could even incorporate them into a gift.
The tricky part is coming up with riddles, but that’s where we're here to help you out. Save your brain for solving the riddles - we’ll take care of giving you plenty of clever word riddles to choose from. Here, you’ll find 85 riddles that are perfect for kids, adults, holidays, group games, and so much more. Skip to the most relevant section to you, or scroll at your leisure to browse on your own.
Best Riddles
Easy Riddles
Hard Riddles
Funny Riddles
Birthday Riddles
Holiday Riddles
Riddles for Games
10 Best Riddles for Your Party or Gathering
Here are a few of our favorite riddles if you want to kick off a gathering or play a game at a party. See which tickles your brain the most.
Q: What do you break the moment you name it?
A: Silence
Q: What has words, yet never speaks?
A: A book
Q: What did the ocean say to the sand?
A: Nothing. It waved.
Q: What’s the quickest way to double your money?
A: Put it in front of a mirror.
Q: If you throw a black stone into the Red Sea, what does it become?
A: Wet.
Q: I am a protector who sits on a bridge. Only one person can see through me, while others cannot. What am I?
A: Sunglasses.
Q: Why did the golfer have to change his pants?
A: He put a hole in one.
Q: If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t kept me.
A: A secret.
Q: I am always old, but sometimes also new. While I’m never sad, sometimes I am blue. I am never empty, but only sometimes full. I never push, but I always pull. What am I?
A: The moon.
Q: What bats, but never hits; is near a ball, but never thrown?
A: Eyelashes.
Q: What can hold water despite being full of holes?
A: A sponge.
Easy Riddles for Kids
Let the little ones play along! These riddles are a bit easier and might be better suited to kids (though the adults could get stumped too).
Q: Why did the gardener plant a light bulb in his field?
A: He was trying to grow a power plant.
Q: If you give me a drink, I die, but if you feed me, I grow. What am I?
A: Fire.
Q: What word starts with E, ends with E, but only holds a single letter?
A: Envelope.
Q: What’s black, white, and blue?
A: A sad zebra.
Q: Why did the citrus tree have to go to the hospital?
A: For lemon-aid.
Q: What has many rings even though it has no fingers?
A: A telephone.
Q: What can go up but can never come back down?
A: Your age.
Q: What has hundreds of needles, yet can’t sew a single stitch?
A: A porcupine.
Q: Where are energy criminals kept?
A: Fuel cells.
Q: What do you call a poodle in the summertime?
A: A hot dog.
Q: Where should you take a sick boat?
A: To the dock-tor.
Q: What jumps when it walks and sits when it stands?
A: A kangaroo.
Q: What’s a question you can never say “yes” to?
A: Are you asleep?
Q: You can find this in Earth, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars, but not in Venus or Neptune. What is it?
A: The letter R.
Q: What has hands and a face, but can’t touch or see?
A: A clock.
Q: What is bright orange and sounds like a parrot?
A: A carrot.
Hard Riddles for Adults
Ready to really work your noggin? These riddles for adults are harder. Which ones have you stumped?
Q: If you write this five-letter word in all caps, it reads the same right side up and upside down.
A: SWIMS.
Q: Which single-digit number has no value?
A: Zero.
Q: What can speak but has no mouth, can reproduce but has no body?
A: An echo.
Q: What’s always on the ground but never dirty?
A: A shadow.
Q: What can you find in the middle of March and April, but not at the beginning of either month?
A: The letter R.
Q: What can fill a room without taking up any space?
A: Light.
Q: Neither the person who makes this nor the person who buys it has any need for it. And the person who uses it can’t see or feel. What is it?
A: A coffin.
Q: What do you bury alive and dig up dead?
A: A plant.
Q: Which is heavier: A ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?
A: They both weigh a ton.
Q: In a room you find a match, a kerosene lamp, a fireplace, and a candle. What do you light first?
A: The match.
Q: What is possible to catch but impossible to throw?
A: A cold.
Q: How many letters are in the alphabet?
A: There are 11 letters in the alphabet.
Q: Two boys are born at the same time to the same mother, but they are not twins. How is this possible?
A: They’re triplets.
Q: What can’t bite you even though it has many teeth?
A: A comb.
Q: Forward, it’s heavy. Backward, it’s not. What is it?
A: Ton.
Funny Riddles to Get the Party Laughing
Riddles aren’t all serious business. These riddles straddle the line between brain teaser and joke. Who says you can’t have a laugh while solving a puzzle?
Q: Where would a fish live if it lived on land?
A: In Fin-land.
Q: What is purple and smells exactly like green paint?
A: Purple paint.
Q: What does a house wear?
A: An ad-dress.
Q: In which month do people sleep the least?
A: February, because it’s the shortest.
Q: What is sometimes born in silence, is harmless yet unpopular, is invisible but makes its presence known, and will fade without a trace?
A: A fart.
Q: Why is it impossible for a pirate to finish the alphabet?
A: Because he’ll always get lost at sea.
Q: What travels the world without ever leaving its corner?
A: A postage stamp.
Q: What scared Snap, Crackle, and Pop so much?
A: They heard about a cereal killer on the loose.
Q: What could make an octopus laugh?
A: Ten-tickles.
Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?
A: Time for a new fence.
Q: How can you tell the difference between a jeweler and a jailer?
A: The jeweler sells watches and the jailer watches cells.
Q: What can you hold in your left hand but never in your right?
A: Your right hand.
Q: What has an eye but can’t see?
A: A needle.
Need more ideas to get the party laughing? Check out our collection of best dad jokes.
Birthday Riddles
These riddles are great for when you’re hosting or attending a birthday party. Get everyone involved in solving these birthday riddles.
Q: What did the tiger say to her cub for his birthday?
A: It’s roar birthday.
Q: If someone turned 25 three days ago, but will be 27 next year, when is their birthday?
A: Jan. 1.
Q: How does a witch celebrate her birthday?
A: She spellabrates.
Q: This is dreaded by the old, but loved by the young. This can be hard to remember, but just as hard to forget. What is it?
A: A birthday.
Q: Melissa’s birthday is Feb. 3, but her birthday always falls in summer. How is that possible?
A: Melissa lives in the southern hemisphere.
Q: What does a pirate say when he reaches his 80th birthday?
A: Aye-matey.
Q: We sing while it lives. We clap when it dies. What is it?
A: A birthday candle.
Q: Why did the cupcake go to the doctor?
A: It was feeling a bit crumby.
Q: If you were born exactly 15 years ago, how old are you today?
A: 15.
Q: Why do we put birthday candles on top of the cake?
A: Well, we can’t exactly put them on the bottom!
Q: What can float but doesn’t swim, blows up but is not a bomb, is often at birthday parties, but isn’t a candle, sometimes has a string but isn’t a kite?
A: A balloon.
These birthday riddles would make great unique messages in a printable birthday card.
Festive Holiday Riddles
Whether it’s Halloween, Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, we’ve got a riddle that’s perfect for your holiday celebration. Try out these holiday-themed riddles.
Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?
A: She wasn’t a chicken.
Q: There’s one night a year when you have to ask for this specifically, even though you can get it all year long. What is it?
A: Candy.
Q: What is a mummy’s favorite holiday?
A: Christmas - because of all the wrapping.
Q: What do you call an Easter bunny who forgot to deliver the eggs?
A: Hare brained.
Q: What do you get by mixing a vampire and a snowman?
A: Frostbite.
Q: What do you call a skeleton who can make you laugh?
A: A funny bone.
Q: What is covered in needles but can’t sew?
A: A Christmas tree.
Q: Where does a Thanksgiving bird go for vacation?
A: Turkey.
Q: What gets painted but never on canvas, gets hunted but never killed?
A: An Easter egg.
Q: What do you get by crossing Santa Claus with a duck?
A: A Christmas quacker.
We like a festive giggle around here. So if you're looking for more, check out our Halloween jokes, Thanksgiving jokes, and Christmas jokes.
Riddles for Tabletop Games
Whether you're running a tabletop game campaign or playing games with the grandkids, riddling isn't easy. These riddles are great for challenging your players!
Q: What wears mail that never clinks, is always thirsty but never drinks?
A: A fish.
Q: This is the only room you cannot enter.
A: A mushroom.
Q: There is something the poor have that the rich want, but both will die if they make it their meal.
A: Nothing.
Q: Drop this and it cracks, but smile at it and it smiles back.
A: A mirror.
Q: One breaks but does not fall; one falls but does not break.
A: Day breaks. Night falls.
Q: This is as loud as thunder, as bright as gemstones, and never, ever still.
A: A waterfall.
Q: Collect me, the fruit of the earth.
A: Gemstones.
Q: What has a tail and a head, but no body, and is not a snake?
A: A coin.
Q: You leave behind more of these the more you take.
A: Footsteps.
Q: The more you encounter, the less you’ll be able to see.
A: Darkness.
The games don't end here. Keep the party going by asking your friends some of our best 'Would You Rather' questions.
What Is the Answer to This Riddle?
Do some of these riddles have you stumped? That’s okay! Riddles aren’t always about getting the right answer right away. Here are some tips for solving riddles:
- Try to figure out what type of riddle you’re solving. A math riddle is different from a logic riddle. A play on words might have an unexpected but seemingly obvious answer. If you can identify the type of riddle, you’ll be well on your way to solving it.
- Try to break the riddle down into smaller parts. If the whole thing is overwhelming, take it one piece at a time. I.e., What has teeth but cannot bite? You could start by just listing things that have teeth.
- Read carefully! Many riddles contain puns and double meanings. Read and re-read while keeping a lookout for these sneaky tricks.
- Also, look out for metaphors. “Bright as gemstones.” That isn’t literal, so what might it suggest?
- Don’t jump to conclusions. If you get stuck on one answer, you shut yourself off from other possibilities.
- Get creative! Your number one tool in solving riddles is creative thinking.
Keep the Fun Going!
If our Riddles have left you wanting more, you're in for a treat. From holiday-themed laughs to mind-engaging games, there's something on our site for every mood:
- Would You Rather Questions for Kids
- Printable Word Search Puzzles
- Coloring Pages
- Christmas Word Scrambles
- Dad Jokes
- Halloween Jokes
- Skeleton Puns
- Spider Puns
- Thanksgiving Jokes
- Winter Jokes
- Snow Puns
- Christmas Jokes
