110 Challenging Riddles for Kids of All Grades and Adults (with Answers) to Give Your Brain a Workout – That Are Really Hard and Complicated and Will Leave You Totally Stumped

Both kids and adults will love it when they have to think and figure out the answer to a riddle. There is no doubt that riddles are very easy to play without needing any media. What makes riddles so attractive to play is that they come in various types, starting from funny to tricky ones.

110 Challenging Riddles for Kids of All Grades and Adults

Riddles will really trick us with something, and these usually have a double meaning—that makes riddles so confusing to solve. But if you try to explore as many riddles as possible and practice a lot, you’ll get easier when someone asks you a tricky riddle.

Okay, let’s discover everything about riddles, and we also have 110 challenging riddles for kids and adults below!

What Are Riddles?

Riddles are types of word games that usually have questions and answers or only statements that have multiple meanings. Since these need to be solved, they can even be surprising but logical, which will test our brain to think carefully.

Depending on the creators, riddles could be very simple or even super complex. These also often make us laugh after knowing the answer. Riddles can make people who get involved feel encouraged to continue looking for the right answer. And some of the best riddles are the ones that really make us think very deeply.

In addition, riddles can also try to deceive us, but they can also deliver entertainment and funny things. That’s why riddles could be a fun and great tool for warming up in the classroom before starting the lesson.

Riddles have several types; some are super simple, while others are very complicated. Riddles can be classified as enigmas or conundrums.

    • Enigma riddles are the types of riddles that will require us to carefully think, and problem solving may be more difficult to find.
    • Conundrum riddles are the types of riddles that consist of a pun that can be found in a question or answer.

Even though riddles are not as popular as they used to be, luckily adults and kids still love creating, playing, and solving them.

How Do You Create a Riddle?

Riddles are actually easy to create, and what you should do is think creatively about an object that will be an answer to the riddle you’ll make up. Reading a lot about riddles can lead you to make a riddle and share your own with your friends.

Thankfully! We have some tips and tricks you can use to create your own riddles.

    1. Decide on an object to be a riddle’s answer. Make sure to pick one object or anything you can imagine. But you should avoid topics that are very abstract or require specialized knowledge.
    2. Determine long or short riddles. Before making a description of an object, you’ll have to first determine how long you want your riddle to be, long or short. Then, you can create just a phrase or two, or even long sentences, to describe the object.
    3. Create a list of the object’s descriptions. Now, you must describe the object you chose to be your riddle answer in a list. It could be the object’s color, shape, taste, sound, or uses. You can also explain it with a metaphorical description.
    4. Draft your riddle. After you have a list to describe the object, you can arrange your riddle. Make sure to use simple and strong words in your riddle, and avoid burdening your riddle with complicated words or abstract concepts.
    5. Share your riddle. Now is the time to share your own riddle with your family or friends. And see their reactions; can they guess it? If you couldn’t, you managed to trick them.

What Are the Benefits of Riddles?

For both kids and adults, riddles actually have benefits. According to word game experts, riddles for kids can really help them improve their creativity and thoughts. In addition to riddles, some other word games, such as stories, poems, crosswords, etc., contribute to providing the opportunity to think more broadly about something.

When almost everyone is busy with their gadgets and social media, which means there is no longer any emotional attachment between people, riddles are certainly very important nowadays. Furthermore, if the current generation loves to play riddles with the people closest to them, this helps them to care more about what is happening around them.

In fact, riddles are a kind of exercise for the brain, which certainly has many benefits, including:

  • Bring back the children’s focus

When children are bored while studying, attracting them by making them laugh is the best medicine to move on to the next phase, i.e., serious learning. Giving them fun riddles that contain humor will certainly make them laugh. Of course, there’s nothing more fun when you’re bored of studying than having a riddle session.

  • Introducing new vocabularies

When children try to figure out the answer to a riddle, they automatically find new vocabulary. Instead of reading a lot to increase their vocabulary, giving a riddle to kids is the best solution to help improve their vocabulary.

  • Create critical thinking

When trying to answer a riddle, you’ll use your brain to look for the solution. Of course, it will give you the opportunity to think about things and develop critical reasoning. If you are used to this, it can help you increase your IQ, making it easier for you when taking tests such as the SAT and ACT tests.

  • Improve understanding

Even though Americans have a literacy rate of up to 99%, they fail in comprehension. This is because the ability to interpret understanding is still weak. In this case, riddles can help both children and adults understand and interpret easily.

  • Love for learning

Slipping riddles in the middle of a study session can introduce them to the love of learning. There is no doubt that children do not like learning but doing and creating other things. Giving them riddles can be a fun way of learning, and they won’t even realize they are learning.

  • Create a stronger bond

It may apply to the relationship between parents and children. When you share a riddle with your kids in your spare time, it can really allow you and them to stay connected. So, the bonding between children and parents will become stronger.

Okay, those are several benefits of riddles that kids and adults can get.

110 Challenging Riddles for Kids of All Grades and Adults (with Answers)

Now, we have some riddles for kids and adults. The riddles that we’ll show are obtained from many sources, and these come with varying levels of difficulty and with different objects.

Let’s get started!

Funny Riddles

  Riddle Question Answer
1. It can really guide people all over the world, but they only stay on their sofa. What is it? Compass
2. I have hands and a face, but I can’t hold anything. Who am I? A clock
3. How many months of the year have 28 days? All of them, of course. Each month really has 28 days.
4. What is the capital of Germany? “G.” It is the capital letter in Germany.
5. What two things can’t you eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner
6. It has a tail and a head, but no body. What is it? A coin
7. What gets wet as it dries? A towel
8. What begins with T ends with T and has T in it? A teapot
9. What thing can you catch but not throw? A cold
10. What has thirteen hearts, but no other organs? A deck of cards
11. It belongs to you, but people use it more. What is it? Your name
12. If you remove its skin, it can cry. What is it? An onion
13. John’s mother has four children: Smith, Kate, Scarlett and …? Of course, John.
14. What can fill a room but doesn’t take up space? Light
15. I have many keys, but I can’t open a single lock. What am I? A piano
16. I’m made of water. If you put me into water, I will disappear. Who am I? An ice cube
17. What question can you never answer yes to? Are you asleep yet?
18. Where would you take a sick boat? To the dock
19. I have legs but I cannot walk. Who am I? A chair
20. If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five? Nine!
21. I’m very strong and delicate, but when you say my name, it breaks. Who am I? Silence
22. If you drop me, I’ll crack. If you smile at me, I’ll always smile back. Who am I? Mirror
23. What thing can be cracked, made, told and played? A joke
24. What is easier to get into than out of? Trouble
25. What has to be broken before you can use it? An egg

Easy Riddles for Kids

  Riddle Question Answer
26. What gets bigger when more is taken away? A hole
27. I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I? Your breath
28. I’m found in socks, scarves and mittens; and often in the paws of playful kittens. What am I? Yarn
29. Where does today come before yesterday? The dictionary
30. What invention lets you look right through a wall? A window
31. David’s parents have three sons: Snap, Crackle, and what’s the name of the third son? David
32. I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I? Your shadow
33. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock? A piano
34. What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right? Your right elbow
35. What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty? A chalkboard
36. If you’ve got me, you want to share me; if you share me, you haven’t kept me. What am I? A secret
37. What can’t be put in a saucepan? It’s lid
38. What goes up and down but doesn’t move? A staircase
39. If you’re running in a race and you pass the person in second place, what place are you in? Second place
40. It belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do. What is it? Your name
41. What can run but cannot walk? Water
42. What word begins with E and ends with E, but only has one letter? Envelope
43. What starts with a P, ends with an E and has thousands of letters? Post office
44. I have a mouth but I can’t speak. Who am I? A river
45. If you drop a yellow hat in the Red Sea, what does it become? Wet

Tricky Riddles for Adults

  Riddle Question Answer
46. What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand? Your right elbow.
47. Which number keeps going up and never reduces? Your age
48. What kind of coat can be put on only when wet? A coat of paint.
49. It has keys, but no locks. It has space, but no room. You can enter, but can’t go inside. What is it? A keyboard
50. If an electric train is traveling south, which way is the smoke going? There’s no smoke since it’s an electric train.
51. Everyone has me but no one can lose me. What am I? A shadow
52. If two math books were complaining, what would they say to each other? I have way too many problems.
53. What’s full of holes but still holds water? A sponge
54. I have one eye but I can’t see. Who am I? A needle
55. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand? A palm
56. I make a loud sound when I’m changing. When I do change, I get bigger but weigh less. What am I? Popcorn
57. What appears once in a minute, twice in a moment, but not once in a thousand years? The letter of “M”
58. I make a loud sound when I’m changing. When I do change, I get bigger but weigh less. What am I? Popcorn
59. What has many needles, but doesn’t sew? A Christmas tree
60. What can go up a chimney down, but can’t go down a chimney up? An umbrella
61. What building has the most stories in the world? Library
62. What is taller when it’s young and shorter when it is old? A candle
63. What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it? A promise
64. I go all around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I? A stamp
65. If you give me water, I will die. And if you feed me, I’ll get bigger. Who am I? Fire
66. I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I? A map
67. You’ll find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars and Jupiter, but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I The letter “R”
68. I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I? Breath
69. What has many rings but no fingers? A telephone
70. A railroad crossing without any cars. Can you spell that without any R’s? T-H-A-T
71. There’s a one-story house. Everything in the red house is red, the floor is red, the bathroom is red, the walls are red, the kitchen is red, all of the bedrooms are red. So, what color are the stairs? There’s no stairs since that’s a one-story house.

Animal Riddles

  Riddle Question Answer
72. I’m jumping when I walk and sitting when I stand. Who am I? A kangaroo
73. I have a thousand needles but I cannot sew. Who am I? A porcupine
74. What kind of lion never roars? Dandelion
75. I can honk without using a horn. What am I? A goose
76. What do you get when you cross a sheep and a kangaroo? A woolly jumper
77. Why did the chicken cross the playground? They want to get the other slide.
78. I grow down as I grow up. What am I? A goose. Goose features are called down.
79. What’s bright orange with green on top and sounds like a parrot? A carrot
80. Why did the frog call his insurance company? He had a jump in his car
81. What do you call a bear without teeth? A gummy bear
82. An elephant in Asia is called Lulu. An elephant in Africa is called Lala. What do you call an elephant in Antarctica? Lost
83. A cowgirl rode into town on Friday. Three days later, she left on Friday. How come? Of course, Friday is the name of the girl’s horse.
84. I am a big cat with black stripes and sharp claws, but I live in the jungle. Who am I? A tiger
85. I am a colorful bird with a curved beak. I love to imitate human speech. Who am I? A parrot
86. Why do bees have sticky hair? Since they use their honeycombs.
87. What’s black, white and blue? A zebra
88. What do you get when you cross a zebra with a donkey? A zonkey
89. What do you call a pig that does karate? A pork chop
90. What do you call a camel that can play music? A dromedary DJ
91. What do you call a dog magician? A labracadabrador!
92. Why do gorillas have big nostrils? Since they have big fingers
93. I live undersea and I have eight arms and a soft body. I also squirt ink to protect myself. Who am I? An octopus
94. I am a slow-moving animal with a hard shell on my back. I love to munch on leafy greens. Who am I? Turtle
95. Why do cats make good warriors? Since cats have got 9 lives.
96. What kind of lion never roars? A dandelion.

Math Riddles for Kids and Adults

  Riddle Question Answer
97. Mrs. Scarlett has 4 daughters. Each of these daughters has two brothers. How many children does Mrs. Brown? Six children with 4 daughters and 2 sons.
98. Which is heavier: a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers? Neither: They both weigh a ton
99. How many bubbles will be left if Tom blows 18 bubbles in a fair, pops 5, eats four, and pops nine and blows 1? One
100. What is it that a sphere has three of, a circle has only two of, and a point has none? Dimensions
101. How many sides can you see in a circle? Two sides: inside and outside
102. How can you use five 4s to get 55? 100
103. It’s raining at midnight, but the forecast for tomorrow and the next day is clear. Will there be sunny weather in 48 hours? No, it won’t be sunny since  it will be dark out. Well, it will be midnight again in 48 hours.
104. What will be the next number in this pattern 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, . . .? 21
105. What is the name of a 3D shape that looks the same as your favorite ice cream? Cone
106. If I am a number who has a couple of friends, which number am I? 3
107. I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I? Seven
108. If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been? 21 handshakes
109. Zack has a very big family. He has 20 aunts, 20 uncles and 50 cousins. Each of his cousins has an aunt who is not Zack’s aunt. How come? Their aunt is Zack’s mom!
110. Three times of which number is no greater than two times the same number? 0

Okay, those are 110 challenging riddles that you can share with your family and friends, leaving them stumped and speechless, of course.

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