Hard Riddles
100+ Hard Riddles
Here is an extensive list of over 100 harder riddles.
And, if you just want to read the list of hard riddles quickly, here is the full list where you don’t have to click to see the individual answers.
Hard Riddles (1-25)
1. You want to boil a two-minute egg. If you only have a three-minute timer (hourglass), a four-minute timer, and a five-minute timer, how can you boil the egg for only two minutes?
Answer: Once the water is boiling, turn the three-minute timer and five-minute timer over. When the three-minute timer runs out, put the egg in the boiling water. When the five-minute timer runs out, two minutes have elapsed and it is time to take the egg out of the water. You don’t need the four-minute timer for this riddle.
2. On my own, I am darkness, a black abyss. But, Life brings me light with its gentle kiss. I am quiet and cold, but warmth I can hold. Alongside beauties and wonders, sights to be told. My surface may be bare, this I’m aware. But, beautiful secrets I am eager to share. My mouth so large, I swallow you whole. To be in my belly is your goal. What may lie within can drive men to sin. Greed and desire, gluttony’s kin. For some, I am fear. For others, hope. My perception shaped from life’s scope. From the earth I have come, and forever will stay, even if parts of me crumble away. What am I?
Answer: A cave.
3. A is the brother of B. B is the brother of C. C is the father of D. So how is D related to A?
Answer: A is D’s uncle.
4. I look flat, but I am deep. Hidden realms I shelter. Lives I take, but food I offer. At times I am beautiful. I can be calm, angry, and turbulent. I have no heart, but offer pleasure as well as death. No man can own me, yet I encompass what all men must have. What am I?
Answer: The ocean.
5. Different lights do make me strange, thus into different sizes, I will change. What am I?
Answer: I am the pupil of an eye.
6. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R.”
7. Chef Andrea has to light the kitchen stoves to open her restaurant for the day. There are three stoves in the kitchen: A glass stove, a brick stove, and a wood stove. She only has one match. Which does she light up first?
Answer: The match.
8. You walk into a room and see a bed. On the bed, there are two dogs, five cats, a giraffe, six cows, and a goose. There are also three doves flying above the bed. How many legs are on the floor?
Answer: Six—the bed’s four legs, plus your two legs.
9. What is able to go up a chimney when down but unable to go down a chimney when up?
Answer: An umbrella.
10. A wealthy family lived in a big circular house. They had a maid, a butler, and a gardener. The parents were going to a party, so they tucked the younger kids into bed and kissed them goodnight and said goodbye, and kissed the older kids goodnight. When the parents came home, all the kids were gone—they had been kidnapped. The authorities ask the butler, maid, and gardener what they were doing at the time of the kidnapping. The butler says he was organizing the library, the maid says she was dusting the corners, and the gardener says he was watering the plants. Who’s lying and actually kidnapped the kids?
Answer: The maid—she said she was dusting the corners, but the family lives in a circular house, so there are no corners.
11. I’m fatherless and motherless and born without sin. Roaring when entering the world, I never speak again. What am I?
Answer: Thunder
12. It has five wheels, though often think four, You cannot use it without that one more, You can put things in it, you can strap things on top, You can’t find it in the market, but you can still go shop. What is it?
Answer: A car.
13. I have three feet but can’t walk; I tell you things but can’t talk; Sometimes I bend but I’m mostly straight. I’m like a scale but can’t tell your weight. What am I?
Answer: A yardstick.
14. Grandpa went for a walk, and it started raining. He forgot to bring an umbrella and didn’t have a hat. When he got home, his clothes were soaking wet, but not a hair on his head was wet. How was this possible?
Answer: Grandpa is bald.
The captain of a ship is telling you an interesting story, and then poses a question. He says, “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?”
Answer: The sailors were standing at opposite ends of the ship, but facing one another.
16. A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Right after, they enjoy a lovely dinner. Explain.
Answer: She took a picture of him and developed it in her darkroom.
17. A California farmer owns a beautiful pear tree. He supplies the fruit to a nearby grocery store. The store owner calls the farmer to see how much fruit is available for him to buy. The farmer knows the main trunk has 24 branches. Each branch has exactly 12 boughs and each bough has exactly 6 twigs. Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to deliver?
Answer: None—a pear tree doesn’t grow plums.
18. It can’t be seen, can’t be felt, can’t be heard, and can’t be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, Ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?
Answer: The dark.
19. In a one-story house at the corner of the road, the bedrooms were yellow, the kitchen was orange, the living room was red, the garage was blue, the entry hall was green and the sitting room was purple. What color were the stairs?
Answer: There’s no color because there are no stairs—it’s a one-story house.
20. A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?
Answer: Four sisters and three brothers.
21. My first is in chocolate but no in ham. My second is in cake and also in jam. My third at tea-time is easily found. Altogether, this is a friend who is often around. What is it?
Answer: Cat—”c” is the first letter in “chocolate,” “a” is the second letter in “cake” and “jam,” and “t” is the third letter in “tea-time.”
22. A man is sitting in a bar when a rich man sits next to him. He turns to the rich man and says, “Did you know I know almost every song that has ever existed?” The rich man laughs. The man then says, “I bet you all the money you have in your wallet that I can sing a genuine song with a lady’s name of your choice in it. The rich man laughs again and says, “OK, how about my daughter’s name, Jamie Armstrong-Miller?” Minutes later, the man collects his cash and the rich man goes home cashless. What song did the man sing?
Answer: Happy Birthday.
23. Jessica is telling her friends this story and asks them to guess if it’s the truth or a lie: “There was a man sitting in a house at night that had no lights on at all. There was no lamp, no candle, and no other source of light. Yet, he sat in the house and read his book happily.” Her friends say she’s lying, but Jessica corrects them and says she’s telling the truth. Jessica’s story is true—but how?
Answer: In Jessica’s story, the man is blind and is reading braille
24. There were five men at church, and it started raining while they were outside. The four that ran still got wet, but the one that was still stayed completely dry. Why did he stay dry?
Answer: He was in a coffin—the other men were at his funeral.
25. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
Answer: Queue
Hard Riddles (26-50)
26. There once were seven dwarfs who were all brothers. They were all born two years apart. The youngest dwarf is seven years old. How old is his oldest brother?
Answer: 19 years old—if you thought the oldest was 21, you likely didn’t count the seven-year-old dwarf as one of the seven brothers.
27. I am something people love or hate. I change people’s appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?
Answer: Age
28. A woman named Maria 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 and didn’t get his name or phone number before he left. She tried to find him, but no one knew who he was or how to contact him. A few weeks later, Maria’s older sister dies and the police suspect murder. Who killed the sister?
Answer: Maria—she hoped the man would show up at her sister’s funeral just as he had for her mother’s funeral.
29. What is the smallest number that increases by 12 when it is flipped and turned upside down?
Answer: The answer is 86. When it is turned upside down and flipped, it becomes 98, which is 12 more than 86.
30. George, Helen, and Steve are drinking coffee. Bert, Karen, and Dave are drinking soda. Using logic, is Elizabeth drinking coffee or soda?
Answer: Elizabeth is drinking coffee. The letter E appears twice in her name, as it does in the names of the others that are drinking coffee.
31. Old Granny Adams left half her money to her granddaughter and half that amount to her grandson. She left a sixth to her brother, and the remainder, $1,000, to the dogs’ home. How much did she leave altogether?
Answer: Adding one half, one quarter, and one sixth tells us that the total is a fraction of twelfths (2+4+6=12). You can also think about it as 6/12, 3/12, 2/12, which equals 11/12. If the remainder is $1,000, that must be one-twelfth, so the total is $12,000.
32. Jim and Sarah are in a long-distance relationship. Jim buys an engagement ring for Sarah and wants to mail it to her. Unfortunately, the only way to ensure the ring will be received is to place a lock on the package. Jim has locks and Sarah has locks, but neither has keys for each other’s locks. How can they make sure the ring isn’t stolen?
Answer: The ring is sent through the mail multiple times. First, Jim puts a lock on the package and sends it to Sarah. Then, Sarah places one of her locks on the package and sends it back to Jim. Then, Jim removes his lock and sends the package back to Sarah. Finally, Sarah unlocks the package and gets the ring.
33. My thunder comes before the lightning; My lightning comes before the clouds; My rain dries all the land it touches. What am I?
Answer: A volcano.
34. What does man love more than life, and hate more than death or mortal strife; that which satisfied men want; the poor have, and the rich require; the miser spends, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves?
Answer: Nothing.
35. Who is that with a neck and no head, two arms and no hands? What is it?
Answer: A shirt
36. Which word is the odd one out: Seventy, Brawl, Clover, Proper, Carrot, Swing, Change, Travel, Sacred, Stone?
Answer: Carrot. When the first and last letters are removed from the other words, they still spell another word.
37. Three different doctors said that Paul is their brother yet Paul claims he has no brothers. Who is lying?
Answer: No one is lying because the three doctors are Paul’s sisters.
38. What disappears as soon as you say its name?
Answer: Silence
39. Three friends are on a road trip, and they rent a triple room for a night. When they get to the hotel, they pay the fee of $30 and go up to their room. The porter brings up their bags and refunds them $5 because the hotel is running a weeknight special. The three friends each keep one of the dollars and give the porter a $2 tip. Later, they sit down to work out their expenses for the weekend and find they have a problem. They each paid $10 for the room and got $1 back each, making their contributions $9. Then they gave the porter a $2 tip. However, 9 times three is 27, plus two is $29. Where did the extra dollar go?
Answer: They didn’t spend $29, they spent $27: $25 on the room, and $2 for the porter’s tip. The three remaining dollars were returned to them
40. You stand in front of two doors. A guard stands next to each door. You know the following things: one path leads to paradise, the other leads to death. You cannot distinguish between the two doors. You also know that one of the two guards always tells the truth and the other always lies. You have permission to ask one guard one question to discover which door leads to paradise. What one question would you ask to guarantee you enter the door to paradise?
Answer: Ask, “Which door would the other guard say leads to paradise?”
41. The owner of a popular clothing store comes up with his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $8, socks cost $10, a tie costs $6, and a blouse costs $12. Using the owner’s method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?
Answer: $18—the method is charging $2 for each letter needed to spell out the clothing item.
42. The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father’s age is the son’s age reversed. How old could they be? (3 possible solutions).
Answer: 51 and 15. 42 and 24. 60 and 06.
43. There is a basket full of hats. Three are white and two are black. Three men, Tom, Tim, and Jim, each take a hat out of the basket and put it on their heads without seeing the hat they selected or the hats the other men selected. The men arrange themselves so Tom can see Tim and Jim’s hats, Tim can see Jim’s hat, and Jim can’t see anyone’s hat. Tom is asked what color his hat is and he says he doesn’t know. Tim is asked the same question, and he also doesn’t know. Finally, Jim is asked the question, and he does know. What color is his hat?
Answer: The hat is white. If Tom doesn’t know his hat color then the other two men’s hats cannot be both black otherwise he would know his hat is white. When Tim doesn’t know his hat color either, that means Jim’s hat could not be black otherwise Tim would have to know his hat was white based on Tom’s answer.
44. Sally lives in a place where six months of the year is mild summer and the temperature drops significantly the other six months. She owns a lake where there is a small island. She wants to build a house on the island and needs to get materials there. She doesn’t have a boat, plane, or anything to transport them to the island. How does Sally solve this problem?
Answer: She waits to take the materials over during the colder months because the lake will freeze over, so she can walk over it.
45. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map
46. A thief enters a store and threatens the clerk, forcing her to open the safe. The clerk says, “The code for the safe is different every day, and if you hurt me you’ll never get the code.” But the thief manages to guess the code on his own. How did he do it?
Answer: The clerk already told him the code—she said it’s “different” every day.
47. A man is found unconscious in front of a store at two in the morning. His head is bleeding and there’s a brick laying next to him. When the police arrive, they carry the man to jail. Why did they arrest him?
Answer: The man was trying to rob the store. He threw a brick at the store’s bullet-proof window and it bounced back and hit him.
48. Find the four digit number in which the first digit is one fourth of the last digit, the second digit is 6 times the first digit, and the third digit is the second digit plus 3. What is it?
Answer: 1694
49. One night, a woman receives a call from the police. They tell her that her husband was murdered, and she should come to the crime scene as soon as possible. The woman drops the phone, shocked, and drives 20 minutes to the crime scene. As soon as she reaches the crime scene, the police arrest her and she is convicted of murder. How do the police know she committed the crime?
Answer: The police didn’t tell her where the crime scene was, yet she already knew where to go.
50. What single digit appears most frequently between and including the numbers 1 and 1,000?
Answer: 1. Every number 1-9 appears exactly the same number of times in every ten numbers. But because the riddle includes the number 1,000, there’s an extra occurrence of the number 1. In total, the number 1 appears 301 times, and every other number appears 300 times.
Hard Riddles (51-75)
51. How can you physically stand behind your father while he is standing behind you?
Answer: You are standing back-to-back with your father.
52. How can the number four be half of five?
Answer: IV, the Roman numeral for four, which is “half” (two letters) of the word five.
53. If you paint a brown house white it will become a white house. If the stoplight changes from red to green, then the light is green. So, if you throw a white shirt into the Red Sea, what will it become?
Answer: Wet—the shirt won’t change color because the Red Sea isn’t actually red.
54. What is it that given one, you’ll have either two or none?
Answer: A choice.
55. A woman is sitting in her hotel room and hears a knock at the door. She opens the door to see a man whom she’s never met before. He says, “I’m sorry, I have made a mistake, I thought this was my room.” He then goes down the corridor and into the elevator. The woman goes back into her room and calls security. What made the woman so suspicious of the man?
Answer: If he really thought it was his hotel room, he would have tried to open the door—not knock on it first.
56. Mrs. Jones was very proud of her apple tree. One autumn, after harvesting her apples, she called her three sons together. “Here are 150 apples,” she said. “I want you to take them to the market tomorrow and sell them for me.” She gave Paul 15 apples, Nick 50, and Ben 85. “Your job,” added Mrs. Jones, “is to sell the apples in such a way that each of you brings home the same amount of money.” How do they do it?
Answer: The first buyer purchases 12 dozen apples at $1 per dozen. Paul sells him one dozen and has three apples left; Nick sells him four dozen and has two apples left; and Ben sells him seven dozen and has one apple left. Then a second buyer comes along and buys all their remaining apples for $3 apiece. The three brothers head home with $10 each.
57. A red house is made out of red bricks. A yellow house is made out of yellow bricks. And, a blue house is made out of blue bricks. So, what is a green house made of?
Answer: Glass
58. Andrew’s doctor gives him three pills and tells him to take one every half hour. How much time will have passed by the time Andrew’s taken all three pills?
Answer: One hour. Andrew will take one right away, then take one a half-hour later, then take the final one a half-hour after that.
59. There’s a girl who has a large family. She has an equal amount of brothers and sisters, but each brother only has half as many brothers and sisters. What’s the correct amount of brothers and sisters?
Answer: Four sisters and three brothers.
60. You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy.
Answer: A candle
61. If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?
Answer: Two dozen. If you increase both the number of hens and the amount of time available four-fold (i.e., 1.5 times 4 equals 6), the number of eggs increases 16 times. 16 x 1.5 = 24.
62. What are the next three letters in this combination? OTTFFSS
Answer: E N T (Each letter represents the first letter in the written numbers: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, etc.).
63. I add six to eleven, and get five. Why is this correct?
Answer: When it is 11 a.m., adding six hours makes it 5 p.m.
64. If eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equal?
Answer: 11 o’clock plus 2 hours = 1 o’clock 9 o’clock plus 5 hours = 2 o’clock
65. Lighter than what I am made of, More of me is hidden Than is seen. What am I?
Answer: An iceberg.
66. Mrs. Jones has four daughters. Each of her daughters has one brother. How many children does Mrs. Jones have?
Answer: Five—all her daughters have the same brother.
67. I come from a mine and get surrounded by wood always. Everyone uses me. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
68. A man was at a carnival and went to a booth where a carny said to him, “If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper, then you have to give me $100, but if I cannot, I will pay you $100.” The man saw no scale near the booth so he agrees, thinking he’ll lie to the carny either way about his weight. However, the man ends up paying the carny $100. How did the carny win the bet?
Answer: The carny handed the man a piece of paper that said, “Your exact weight.”
69. A small number of cards has been lost from a complete pack. If I deal among four people, three cards remain. If I deal among three people, two remain and if I deal among five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there?
Answer: There are 47 cards. To get the answer, you need to know that there are 52 cards in a pack. Then, find the multiples of four, three, and five closest to that number, and see if any of them are the same. For example, you can deal 42, 44, and 48 cards amongst four people, which would mean 9, 5, or 1 cards is missing (with three remaining). However, the only one that works for multiples of three and five people is when five cards are missing, which gives us a total of 47 cards.
70. The person who makes it has no need for it. He who purchases it does not use it. The person who does use it does not know they are. What is it?
Answer: A coffin.
71. What is the smallest whole number that is equal to seven times the sum of its digits?
Answer: 21. You probably just guessed to answer this math riddle, which is fine, but you can also work it out algebraically. The two-digit number ab stands for 10a + b since the first digit represents tens and the second represents units. If 10a + b = 7(a + b), then 10a + b = 7a + 7b, and so 3a = 6b, or, more simply, a = 2b. That is, the second digit must be twice the first. The smallest such number is 21.
72. What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?
Answer: Eat and Ate.
73. How is seven different from the rest of the numbers between one and ten?
Answer: Seven has two syllables and the other numbers only have one syllable.
74. A man is shown a portrait painting. He looks closely, then yells, “Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son!” Who is the man in the portrait?
Answer: The man’s son.
75. Consider this about a word: The first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?
Answer: Heroine
76. Two fathers and their two sons go on a fishing trip together. Each one catches a fish to take home with them. They don’t lose any fish, and yet when they get home they, only have three fish. How is this possible?
Answer: Only three people were on the fishing trip—a grandfather, his son, and his grandson.
77. A spy was in Canada trying to steal insider information on how to set up new Maple Syrup factories in their country. He was introduced to the operations manager of the biggest factory in Canada. However, the manager was suspicious and decided to test him with a question before he trusted him. So he asked, “What would you be sure to find in the middle of Toronto?” The spy thought fast and came up with an answer for the manager. What was his answer?
Answer: “0”—it’s the middle letter in “Toronto.”
78. When asked how old she was, Suzie replied, “In two years I will be twice as old as I was five years ago.” How old is she?
Answer: She’s 12!
79. You walk into an old horror house. It has no power or plumbing. Once inside, you see three doors. Each door has a number on it. Behind each door is a way for you to die. Behind door number one, you die by getting eaten by a lion. Behind door number two, you die by getting murdered. Behind door number three, you die by electric chair. You can’t turn back, so you have to go through a door. Which door do you go through?
Answer: Door number three—the house has no power, which means it doesn’t have electricity. Therefore, the electric chair won’t work.
80. I have keys, but no locks and space, and no rooms. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
Answer: A keyboard
81. You know 2 + 2 comes to the same as 2 x 2. Now find a set of three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied.
Answer: The three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied are 1, 2, and 3.
82. A farmer went to a market and bought a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. On his way home, the farmer came to the bank of a river and rented a boat. But crossing the river by boat, the farmer could carry only himself and a single one of his purchases: the wolf, the goat, or the cabbage. If left unattended together, the wolf would eat the goat, or the goat would eat the cabbage. The farmer’s challenge was to carry himself and his purchases to the far bank of the river, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?
Answer: The farmer takes seven trips over—here are his steps:
Take the goat over
Return
Take the wolf or cabbage over
Return with the goat
Take the cabbage or wolf over
Return
Take goat over
83. Lily is a lilypad in a small pond. Lilly doubles her size each day, On the 20th day she covers the whole pond. On what day was Lily half the size of the pond?
Answer: Day 19, it’s not 10 because on day 20 she doubled from day 19, so 19 must be half the size of the pond.
84. What English word has three consecutive double letters?
Answer: Bookkeeper.
85. What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand?
Answer: Your left hand.
86. My twin lives at the reverse of my house number. The difference between our house numbers ends in two. What are the lowest possible numbers of our house numbers?
Answer: The lowest possible numbers for the houses are 19 and 91. The difference is 72.
87. John noticed that the amount he was paying for his lunch was a rearrangement of the digits of the amount of money he had in his pocket, and that the money he had left over was yet another rearrangement of the same three digits! How much money did John start with?
Answer: John started with $9.54. The money can be written with just three digits, so it must be between $1.01 and $9.99. Trial and error shows that there is only one set of numbers that fits this question: $9.54 = $4.59 + $4.95.
88. One night, a man runs away from home. He turns left and keeps running. After some time he turns left again and keeps running. Later, he turns left one more time and runs back home—but when he gets home, he finds a man in a mask. Who was the man in the mask?
Answer: A catcher—they’re playing baseball.
89. I am a five-letter word and people eat me. If you remove the first letter I become an energy form. If you remove the first two letters, I am needed to live. Scramble the last three letters and I am a drink. What word am I?
Answer: Wheat
90. A woman wants to enter an exclusive club, but she doesn’t know the password. A man walks to the door and the doorman says 12, the man says 6, and is let in. Another man walks up and the doorman says 6, the man says 3, and is let in. Thinking she’s figured it out, she walks up to the door and the doorman says 10, she says 5, and she isn’t let in. What should she have said?
Answer: Three—the code is the number of letters that are in the number the doorman says.
91. Consider this: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one. Michael J. Fox has a small one. Prince doesn’t have one. The Pope has one but never uses it. Bill Clinton has one and uses it all the time. What is it?
Answer: A surname.
92. It spends most of its day eating white, but when it’s quick enough, it gets to eat fruit and sometimes some blue things. It’s in a dark room, where the walls are blue, it runs from a ghost that roams the halls and haunts it all the time. What is it?
Answer: Pac-Man
93. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
Answer: An echo
94. What was never scared but became petrified, can’t make a bird but can make a bat, can’t live in a house but would die to have one. What is it?
Answer: A tree.
95. Which of the following words don’t belong in the group and why? CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT, COURTS
Answer: Courts. All of the others are anagrams of each other.
96. I am four times as old as my daughter. In 20 years time I shall be twice as old as her. How old are we now?
Answer: I am 40 and my daughter is 10.
97. There was a competition where the contestants had to hold something. At the end of the event, the winner was a person who had no hands or feet. What was it that the contestants had to hold?
Answer: Their breath.
98. A girl says this to her best friend: “I was born in 1955, and I celebrated my 17th birthday last weekend.” Her best friend thinks she’s lying, but she’s actually correct. How is that possible?
Answer: She was born in room 1955.
99. I’m found in the sea and on land but I can’t walk or swim. I travel by foot but I’m toe less. No matter where I go I’m never far from home. What am I?
Answer: A snail.
100. Something very extraordinary happened on the 6th of May, 1978 at 12:34 a.m. What was it?
Answer: At that moment, the time and day could be written as: 12:34, 5/6/78.
Hard Riddles (100+)
101. Three playing cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.
Answer: Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Two of Spades.
102. A prisoner is called to be questioned by the guards. The guards tell the prisoner: “If you tell a lie, we will hang you and if you tell the truth, we will shoot you.” What did the prisoner say to save himself?
Answer: “You will hang me.”
103. You’re out on the water and see a boat filled with people. You look away for a second and look back again, but this time you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why? Hint: The boat did not sink.
Answer: All the people on the boat are in relationships.
104. A man was found dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard: “I can’t go on. I have nothing to live for.” Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered and it wasn’t a suicide?
Answer: The cassette had started at the beginning of the man’s utterance. Someone else had to be there to rewind the tape.
105. A father told his three sons he would die soon and he needed to decide which one of them to give his property to. He said, “Go to the market and buy something that is large enough to fill my bedroom, but small enough to fit in your pocket. From this, I will decide which of you is the wisest and worthy enough to inherit my land.” They all went to the market, and each came back with a different item. The father told his sons to come into his bedroom one at a time and try to fill up his bedroom with their item. The first son came in and put some pieces of cloth he bought and laid them across the room, but it barely covered the floor. The second son came in and laid some hay on the floor, but there was only enough to cover half the floor. The third son came in and showed his father what he bought. He wound up getting the property. What did the third son show his father?
Answer: A box of matches. Whenever he lit a match, it filled the room with light.
106. Only one color, but not one size, Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, Doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?
Answer: It’s a shadow!
107. One brother says of his younger brother: “Two years ago, I was three times as old as my brother was. In three years’ time, I will be twice as old as my brother.” How old are they each now?
Answer: One way to solve this math riddle is to use even numbers: The older brother will be twice as old as his younger brother in three years’ time. This immediately rules out the older brother currently being 8, 11, and 14, so he must be 17, and the younger brother 7. Two years ago, they were 15 and 5 respectively, and in three years’ time, they will be 20 and 10.
Hard Riddles Full List
1. You want to boil a two-minute egg. If you only have a three-minute timer (hourglass), a four-minute timer, and a five-minute timer, how can you boil the egg for only two minutes?
Answer: Once the water is boiling, turn the three-minute timer and five-minute timer over. When the three-minute timer runs out, put the egg in the boiling water. When the five-minute timer runs out, two minutes have elapsed and it is time to take the egg out of the water. You don’t need the four-minute timer for this riddle.
2. On my own, I am darkness, a black abyss. But, Life brings me light with its gentle kiss. I am quiet and cold, but warmth I can hold. Alongside beauties and wonders, sights to be told. My surface may be bare, this I’m aware. But, beautiful secrets I am eager to share. My mouth so large, I swallow you whole. To be in my belly is your goal. What may lie within can drive men to sin. Greed and desire, gluttony’s kin. For some, I am fear. For others, hope. My perception shaped from life’s scope. From the earth I have come, and forever will stay, even if parts of me crumble away. What am I?
Answer: A cave.
3. A is the brother of B. B is the brother of C. C is the father of D. So how is D related to A?
Answer: A is D’s uncle.
4. I look flat, but I am deep. Hidden realms I shelter. Lives I take, but food I offer. At times I am beautiful. I can be calm, angry, and turbulent. I have no heart, but offer pleasure as well as death. No man can own me, yet I encompass what all men must have. What am I?
Answer: The ocean.
5. Different lights do make me strange, thus into different sizes, I will change. What am I?
Answer: I am the pupil of an eye.
6. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R.”
7. Chef Andrea has to light the kitchen stoves to open her restaurant for the day. There are three stoves in the kitchen: A glass stove, a brick stove, and a wood stove. She only has one match. Which does she light up first?
Answer: The match.
8. You walk into a room and see a bed. On the bed, there are two dogs, five cats, a giraffe, six cows, and a goose. There are also three doves flying above the bed. How many legs are on the floor?
Answer: Six—the bed’s four legs, plus your two legs.
9. What is able to go up a chimney when down but unable to go down a chimney when up?
Answer: An umbrella.
10. A wealthy family lived in a big circular house. They had a maid, a butler, and a gardener. The parents were going to a party, so they tucked the younger kids into bed and kissed them goodnight and said goodbye, and kissed the older kids goodnight. When the parents came home, all the kids were gone—they had been kidnapped. The authorities ask the butler, maid, and gardener what they were doing at the time of the kidnapping. The butler says he was organizing the library, the maid says she was dusting the corners, and the gardener says he was watering the plants. Who’s lying and actually kidnapped the kids?
Answer: The maid—she said she was dusting the corners, but the family lives in a circular house, so there are no corners.
11. I’m fatherless and motherless and born without sin. Roaring when entering the world, I never speak again. What am I?
Answer: Thunder
12. It has five wheels, though often think four, You cannot use it without that one more, You can put things in it, you can strap things on top, You can’t find it in the market, but you can still go shop. What is it?
Answer: A car.
13. I have three feet but can’t walk; I tell you things but can’t talk; Sometimes I bend but I’m mostly straight. I’m like a scale but can’t tell your weight. What am I?
Answer: A yardstick.
14. Grandpa went for a walk, and it started raining. He forgot to bring an umbrella and didn’t have a hat. When he got home, his clothes were soaking wet, but not a hair on his head was wet. How was this possible?
Answer: Grandpa is bald.
15. The captain of a ship is telling you an interesting story, and then poses a question. He says, “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?”
Answer: The sailors were standing at opposite ends of the ship, but facing one another.
16. A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Right after, they enjoy a lovely dinner. Explain.
Answer: She took a picture of him and developed it in her darkroom.
17. A California farmer owns a beautiful pear tree. He supplies the fruit to a nearby grocery store. The store owner calls the farmer to see how much fruit is available for him to buy. The farmer knows the main trunk has 24 branches. Each branch has exactly 12 boughs and each bough has exactly 6 twigs. Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many plums will the farmer be able to deliver?
Answer: None—a pear tree doesn’t grow plums.
18. It can’t be seen, can’t be felt, can’t be heard, and can’t be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, Ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?
Answer: The dark.
19. In a one-story house at the corner of the road, the bedrooms were yellow, the kitchen was orange, the living room was red, the garage was blue, the entry hall was green and the sitting room was purple. What color were the stairs?
Answer: There’s no color because there are no stairs—it’s a one-story house.
20. A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?
Answer: Four sisters and three brothers.
21. My first is in chocolate but no in ham. My second is in cake and also in jam. My third at tea-time is easily found. Altogether, this is a friend who is often around. What is it?
Answer: Cat—”c” is the first letter in “chocolate,” “a” is the second letter in “cake” and “jam,” and “t” is the third letter in “tea-time.”
22. A man is sitting in a bar when a rich man sits next to him. He turns to the rich man and says, “Did you know I know almost every song that has ever existed?” The rich man laughs. The man then says, “I bet you all the money you have in your wallet that I can sing a genuine song with a lady’s name of your choice in it. The rich man laughs again and says, “OK, how about my daughter’s name, Jamie Armstrong-Miller?” Minutes later, the man collects his cash and the rich man goes home cashless. What song did the man sing?
Answer: Happy Birthday.
23. Jessica is telling her friends this story and asks them to guess if it’s the truth or a lie: “There was a man sitting in a house at night that had no lights on at all. There was no lamp, no candle, and no other source of light. Yet, he sat in the house and read his book happily.” Her friends say she’s lying, but Jessica corrects them and says she’s telling the truth. Jessica’s story is true—but how?
Answer: In Jessica’s story, the man is blind and is reading braille
24. There were five men at church, and it started raining while they were outside. The four that ran still got wet, but the one that was still stayed completely dry. Why did he stay dry?
Answer: He was in a coffin—the other men were at his funeral.
25. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
Answer: Queue
26. There once were seven dwarfs who were all brothers. They were all born two years apart. The youngest dwarf is seven years old. How old is his oldest brother?
Answer: 19 years old—if you thought the oldest was 21, you likely didn’t count the seven-year-old dwarf as one of the seven brothers.
27. I am something people love or hate. I change people’s appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?
Answer: Age
28. A woman named Maria 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 and didn’t get his name or phone number before he left. She tried to find him, but no one knew who he was or how to contact him. A few weeks later, Maria’s older sister dies and the police suspect murder. Who killed the sister?
Answer: Maria—she hoped the man would show up at her sister’s funeral just as he had for her mother’s funeral.
29. What is the smallest number that increases by 12 when it is flipped and turned upside down?
Answer: The answer is 86. When it is turned upside down and flipped, it becomes 98, which is 12 more than 86.
30. George, Helen, and Steve are drinking coffee. Bert, Karen, and Dave are drinking soda. Using logic, is Elizabeth drinking coffee or soda?
Answer: Elizabeth is drinking coffee. The letter E appears twice in her name, as it does in the names of the others that are drinking coffee.
31. Old Granny Adams left half her money to her granddaughter and half that amount to her grandson. She left a sixth to her brother, and the remainder, $1,000, to the dogs’ home. How much did she leave altogether?
Answer: Adding one half, one quarter, and one sixth tells us that the total is a fraction of twelfths (2+4+6=12). You can also think about it as 6/12, 3/12, 2/12, which equals 11/12. If the remainder is $1,000, that must be one-twelfth, so the total is $12,000.
32. Jim and Sarah are in a long-distance relationship. Jim buys an engagement ring for Sarah and wants to mail it to her. Unfortunately, the only way to ensure the ring will be received is to place a lock on the package. Jim has locks and Sarah has locks, but neither has keys for each other’s locks. How can they make sure the ring isn’t stolen?
Answer: The ring is sent through the mail multiple times. First, Jim puts a lock on the package and sends it to Sarah. Then, Sarah places one of her locks on the package and sends it back to Jim. Then, Jim removes his lock and sends the package back to Sarah. Finally, Sarah unlocks the package and gets the ring.
33. My thunder comes before the lightning; My lightning comes before the clouds; My rain dries all the land it touches. What am I?
Answer: A volcano.
34. What does man love more than life, and hate more than death or mortal strife; that which satisfied men want; the poor have, and the rich require; the miser spends, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves?
Answer: Nothing.
35. Who is that with a neck and no head, two arms and no hands? What is it?
Answer: A shirt
36. Which word is the odd one out: Seventy, Brawl, Clover, Proper, Carrot, Swing, Change, Travel, Sacred, Stone?
Answer: Carrot. When the first and last letters are removed from the other words, they still spell another word.
37. Three different doctors said that Paul is their brother yet Paul claims he has no brothers. Who is lying?
Answer: No one is lying because the three doctors are Paul’s sisters.
38. What disappears as soon as you say its name?
Answer: Silence
39. Three friends are on a road trip, and they rent a triple room for a night. When they get to the hotel, they pay the fee of $30 and go up to their room. The porter brings up their bags and refunds them $5 because the hotel is running a weeknight special. The three friends each keep one of the dollars and give the porter a $2 tip. Later, they sit down to work out their expenses for the weekend and find they have a problem. They each paid $10 for the room and got $1 back each, making their contributions $9. Then they gave the porter a $2 tip. However, 9 times three is 27, plus two is $29. Where did the extra dollar go?
Answer: They didn’t spend $29, they spent $27: $25 on the room, and $2 for the porter’s tip. The three remaining dollars were returned to them
40. You stand in front of two doors. A guard stands next to each door. You know the following things: one path leads to paradise, the other leads to death. You cannot distinguish between the two doors. You also know that one of the two guards always tells the truth and the other always lies. You have permission to ask one guard one question to discover which door leads to paradise. What one question would you ask to guarantee you enter the door to paradise?
Answer: Ask, “Which door would the other guard say leads to paradise?”
41. The owner of a popular clothing store comes up with his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $8, socks cost $10, a tie costs $6, and a blouse costs $12. Using the owner’s method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?
Answer: $18—the method is charging $2 for each letter needed to spell out the clothing item.
42. The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father’s age is the son’s age reversed. How old could they be? (3 possible solutions).
Answer: 51 and 15. 42 and 24. 60 and 06.
43. There is a basket full of hats. Three are white and two are black. Three men, Tom, Tim, and Jim, each take a hat out of the basket and put it on their heads without seeing the hat they selected or the hats the other men selected. The men arrange themselves so Tom can see Tim and Jim’s hats, Tim can see Jim’s hat, and Jim can’t see anyone’s hat. Tom is asked what color his hat is and he says he doesn’t know. Tim is asked the same question, and he also doesn’t know. Finally, Jim is asked the question, and he does know. What color is his hat?
Answer: The hat is white. If Tom doesn’t know his hat color then the other two men’s hats cannot be both black otherwise he would know his hat is white. When Tim doesn’t know his hat color either, that means Jim’s hat could not be black otherwise Tim would have to know his hat was white based on Tom’s answer.
44. Sally lives in a place where six months of the year is mild summer and the temperature drops significantly the other six months. She owns a lake where there is a small island. She wants to build a house on the island and needs to get materials there. She doesn’t have a boat, plane, or anything to transport them to the island. How does Sally solve this problem?
Answer: She waits to take the materials over during the colder months because the lake will freeze over, so she can walk over it.
45. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map
46. A thief enters a store and threatens the clerk, forcing her to open the safe. The clerk says, “The code for the safe is different every day, and if you hurt me you’ll never get the code.” But the thief manages to guess the code on his own. How did he do it?
Answer: The clerk already told him the code—she said it’s “different” every day.
47. A man is found unconscious in front of a store at two in the morning. His head is bleeding and there’s a brick laying next to him. When the police arrive, they carry the man to jail. Why did they arrest him?
Answer: The man was trying to rob the store. He threw a brick at the store’s bullet-proof window and it bounced back and hit him.
48. Find the four digit number in which the first digit is one fourth of the last digit, the second digit is 6 times the first digit, and the third digit is the second digit plus 3. What is it?
Answer: 1694
49. One night, a woman receives a call from the police. They tell her that her husband was murdered, and she should come to the crime scene as soon as possible. The woman drops the phone, shocked, and drives 20 minutes to the crime scene. As soon as she reaches the crime scene, the police arrest her and she is convicted of murder. How do the police know she committed the crime?
Answer: The police didn’t tell her where the crime scene was, yet she already knew where to go.
50. What single digit appears most frequently between and including the numbers 1 and 1,000?
Answer: 1. Every number 1-9 appears exactly the same number of times in every ten numbers. But because the riddle includes the number 1,000, there’s an extra occurrence of the number 1. In total, the number 1 appears 301 times, and every other number appears 300 times.
51. How can you physically stand behind your father while he is standing behind you?
Answer: You are standing back-to-back with your father.
52. How can the number four be half of five?
Answer: IV, the Roman numeral for four, which is “half” (two letters) of the word five.
53. If you paint a brown house white it will become a white house. If the stoplight changes from red to green, then the light is green. So, if you throw a white shirt into the Red Sea, what will it become?
Answer: Wet—the shirt won’t change color because the Red Sea isn’t actually red.
54. What is it that given one, you’ll have either two or none?
Answer: A choice.
55. A woman is sitting in her hotel room and hears a knock at the door. She opens the door to see a man whom she’s never met before. He says, “I’m sorry, I have made a mistake, I thought this was my room.” He then goes down the corridor and into the elevator. The woman goes back into her room and calls security. What made the woman so suspicious of the man?
Answer: If he really thought it was his hotel room, he would have tried to open the door—not knock on it first.
56. Mrs. Jones was very proud of her apple tree. One autumn, after harvesting her apples, she called her three sons together. “Here are 150 apples,” she said. “I want you to take them to the market tomorrow and sell them for me.” She gave Paul 15 apples, Nick 50, and Ben 85. “Your job,” added Mrs. Jones, “is to sell the apples in such a way that each of you brings home the same amount of money.” How do they do it?
Answer: The first buyer purchases 12 dozen apples at $1 per dozen. Paul sells him one dozen and has three apples left; Nick sells him four dozen and has two apples left; and Ben sells him seven dozen and has one apple left. Then a second buyer comes along and buys all their remaining apples for $3 apiece. The three brothers head home with $10 each.
57. A red house is made out of red bricks. A yellow house is made out of yellow bricks. And, a blue house is made out of blue bricks. So, what is a green house made of?
Answer: Glass
58. Andrew’s doctor gives him three pills and tells him to take one every half hour. How much time will have passed by the time Andrew’s taken all three pills?
Answer: One hour. Andrew will take one right away, then take one a half-hour later, then take the final one a half-hour after that.
59. There’s a girl who has a large family. She has an equal amount of brothers and sisters, but each brother only has half as many brothers and sisters. What’s the correct amount of brothers and sisters?
Answer: Four sisters and three brothers.
60. You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy.
Answer: A candle
61. If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?
Answer: Two dozen. If you increase both the number of hens and the amount of time available four-fold (i.e., 1.5 times 4 equals 6), the number of eggs increases 16 times. 16 x 1.5 = 24.
62. What are the next three letters in this combination? OTTFFSS
Answer: E N T (Each letter represents the first letter in the written numbers: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, etc.).
63. I add six to eleven, and get five. Why is this correct?
Answer: When it is 11 a.m., adding six hours makes it 5 p.m.
64. If eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equal?
Answer: 11 o’clock plus 2 hours = 1 o’clock 9 o’clock plus 5 hours = 2 o’clock
65. Lighter than what I am made of, More of me is hidden Than is seen. What am I?
Answer: An iceberg.
66. Mrs. Jones has four daughters. Each of her daughters has one brother. How many children does Mrs. Jones have?
Answer: Five—all her daughters have the same brother.
67. I come from a mine and get surrounded by wood always. Everyone uses me. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
68. A man was at a carnival and went to a booth where a carny said to him, “If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper, then you have to give me $100, but if I cannot, I will pay you $100.” The man saw no scale near the booth so he agrees, thinking he’ll lie to the carny either way about his weight. However, the man ends up paying the carny $100. How did the carny win the bet?
Answer: The carny handed the man a piece of paper that said, “Your exact weight.”
69. A small number of cards has been lost from a complete pack. If I deal among four people, three cards remain. If I deal among three people, two remain and if I deal among five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there?
Answer: There are 47 cards. To get the answer, you need to know that there are 52 cards in a pack. Then, find the multiples of four, three, and five closest to that number, and see if any of them are the same. For example, you can deal 42, 44, and 48 cards amongst four people, which would mean 9, 5, or 1 cards is missing (with three remaining). However, the only one that works for multiples of three and five people is when five cards are missing, which gives us a total of 47 cards.
70. The person who makes it has no need for it. He who purchases it does not use it. The person who does use it does not know they are. What is it?
Answer: A coffin.
71. What is the smallest whole number that is equal to seven times the sum of its digits?
Answer: 21. You probably just guessed to answer this math riddle, which is fine, but you can also work it out algebraically. The two-digit number ab stands for 10a + b since the first digit represents tens and the second represents units. If 10a + b = 7(a + b), then 10a + b = 7a + 7b, and so 3a = 6b, or, more simply, a = 2b. That is, the second digit must be twice the first. The smallest such number is 21.
72. What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?
Answer: Eat and Ate.
73. How is seven different from the rest of the numbers between one and ten?
Answer: Seven has two syllables and the other numbers only have one syllable.
74. A man is shown a portrait painting. He looks closely, then yells, “Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son!” Who is the man in the portrait?
Answer: The man’s son.
75. Consider this about a word: The first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?
Answer: Heroine
76. Two fathers and their two sons go on a fishing trip together. Each one catches a fish to take home with them. They don’t lose any fish, and yet when they get home they, only have three fish. How is this possible?
Answer: Only three people were on the fishing trip—a grandfather, his son, and his grandson.
77. A spy was in Canada trying to steal insider information on how to set up new Maple Syrup factories in their country. He was introduced to the operations manager of the biggest factory in Canada. However, the manager was suspicious and decided to test him with a question before he trusted him. So he asked, “What would you be sure to find in the middle of Toronto?” The spy thought fast and came up with an answer for the manager. What was his answer?
Answer: “0”—it’s the middle letter in “Toronto.”
78. When asked how old she was, Suzie replied, “In two years I will be twice as old as I was five years ago.” How old is she?
Answer: She’s 12!
79. You walk into an old horror house. It has no power or plumbing. Once inside, you see three doors. Each door has a number on it. Behind each door is a way for you to die. Behind door number one, you die by getting eaten by a lion. Behind door number two, you die by getting murdered. Behind door number three, you die by electric chair. You can’t turn back, so you have to go through a door. Which door do you go through?
Answer: Door number three—the house has no power, which means it doesn’t have electricity. Therefore, the electric chair won’t work.
80. I have keys, but no locks and space, and no rooms. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
Answer: A keyboard
81. You know 2 + 2 comes to the same as 2 x 2. Now find a set of three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied.
Answer: The three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied are 1, 2, and 3.
82. A farmer went to a market and bought a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. On his way home, the farmer came to the bank of a river and rented a boat. But crossing the river by boat, the farmer could carry only himself and a single one of his purchases: the wolf, the goat, or the cabbage. If left unattended together, the wolf would eat the goat, or the goat would eat the cabbage. The farmer’s challenge was to carry himself and his purchases to the far bank of the river, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?
“Answer: Answer: The farmer takes seven trips over—here are his steps:
Take the goat over
Return
Take the wolf or cabbage over
Return with the goat
Take the cabbage or wolf over
Return
Take goat over”
83. Lily is a lilypad in a small pond. Lilly doubles her size each day, On the 20th day she covers the whole pond. On what day was Lily half the size of the pond?
Answer: Day 19, it’s not 10 because on day 20 she doubled from day 19, so 19 must be half the size of the pond.
84. What English word has three consecutive double letters?
Answer: Bookkeeper.
85. What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand?
Answer: Your left hand.
86. My twin lives at the reverse of my house number. The difference between our house numbers ends in two. What are the lowest possible numbers of our house numbers?
Answer: The lowest possible numbers for the houses are 19 and 91. The difference is 72.
87. John noticed that the amount he was paying for his lunch was a rearrangement of the digits of the amount of money he had in his pocket, and that the money he had left over was yet another rearrangement of the same three digits! How much money did John start with?
Answer: John started with $9.54. The money can be written with just three digits, so it must be between $1.01 and $9.99. Trial and error shows that there is only one set of numbers that fits this question: $9.54 = $4.59 + $4.95.
88. One night, a man runs away from home. He turns left and keeps running. After some time he turns left again and keeps running. Later, he turns left one more time and runs back home—but when he gets home, he finds a man in a mask. Who was the man in the mask?
Answer: A catcher—they’re playing baseball.
89. I am a five-letter word and people eat me. If you remove the first letter I become an energy form. If you remove the first two letters, I am needed to live. Scramble the last three letters and I am a drink. What word am I?
Answer: Wheat
90. A woman wants to enter an exclusive club, but she doesn’t know the password. A man walks to the door and the doorman says 12, the man says 6, and is let in. Another man walks up and the doorman says 6, the man says 3, and is let in. Thinking she’s figured it out, she walks up to the door and the doorman says 10, she says 5, and she isn’t let in. What should she have said?
Answer: Three—the code is the number of letters that are in the number the doorman says.
91. Consider this: Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one. Michael J. Fox has a small one. Prince doesn’t have one. The Pope has one but never uses it. Bill Clinton has one and uses it all the time. What is it?
Answer: A surname.
92. It spends most of its day eating white, but when it’s quick enough, it gets to eat fruit and sometimes some blue things. It’s in a dark room, where the walls are blue, it runs from a ghost that roams the halls and haunts it all the time. What is it?
Answer: Pac-Man.
93. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
Answer: An echo
94. What was never scared but became petrified, can’t make a bird but can make a bat, can’t live in a house but would die to have one. What is it?
Answer: A tree.
95. Which of the following words don’t belong in the group and why? CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT, COURTS
Answer: Courts. All of the others are anagrams of each other.
96. I am four times as old as my daughter. In 20 years time I shall be twice as old as her. How old are we now?
Answer: I am 40 and my daughter is 10.
97. There was a competition where the contestants had to hold something. At the end of the event, the winner was a person who had no hands or feet. What was it that the contestants had to hold?
Answer: Their breath.
98. A girl says this to her best friend: “I was born in 1955, and I celebrated my 17th birthday last weekend.” Her best friend thinks she’s lying, but she’s actually correct. How is that possible?
Answer: She was born in room 1955.
99. I’m found in the sea and on land but I can’t walk or swim. I travel by foot but I’m toe less. No matter where I go I’m never far from home. What am I?
Answer: A snail.
100. Something very extraordinary happened on the 6th of May, 1978 at 12:34 a.m. What was it?
Answer: At that moment, the time and day could be written as: 12:34, 5/6/78.
101. Three playing cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.
Answer: Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Two of Spades.
102. A prisoner is called to be questioned by the guards. The guards tell the prisoner: “If you tell a lie, we will hang you and if you tell the truth, we will shoot you.” What did the prisoner say to save himself?
Answer: “You will hang me.”
103. You’re out on the water and see a boat filled with people. You look away for a second and look back again, but this time you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why? Hint: The boat did not sink.
Answer: All the people on the boat are in relationships.
104. A man was found dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard: “I can’t go on. I have nothing to live for.” Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered and it wasn’t a suicide?
Answer: The cassette had started at the beginning of the man’s utterance. Someone else had to be there to rewind the tape.
105. A father told his three sons he would die soon and he needed to decide which one of them to give his property to. He said, “Go to the market and buy something that is large enough to fill my bedroom, but small enough to fit in your pocket. From this, I will decide which of you is the wisest and worthy enough to inherit my land.” They all went to the market, and each came back with a different item. The father told his sons to come into his bedroom one at a time and try to fill up his bedroom with their item. The first son came in and put some pieces of cloth he bought and laid them across the room, but it barely covered the floor. The second son came in and laid some hay on the floor, but there was only enough to cover half the floor. The third son came in and showed his father what he bought. He wound up getting the property. What did the third son show his father?
Answer: A box of matches. Whenever he lit a match, it filled the room with light.
106. Only one color, but not one size, Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, Doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?
Answer: It’s a shadow!
107. One brother says of his younger brother: “Two years ago, I was three times as old as my brother was. In three years’ time, I will be twice as old as my brother.” How old are they each now?
Answer: One way to solve this math riddle is to use even numbers: The older brother will be twice as old as his younger brother in three years’ time. This immediately rules out the older brother currently being 8, 11, and 14, so he must be 17, and the younger brother 7. Two years ago, they were 15 and 5 respectively, and in three years’ time, they will be 20 and 10.