Riddles With Answers: 60 of the Best for Kids and Adults

October 7, 2026

A good riddle takes ten seconds to ask and can keep a table arguing for ten minutes. The best ones feel impossible right up until the answer lands, and then feel obvious.

We've sorted these riddles into easy ones for kids, harder ones for adults, funny riddles, logic and maths riddles, and a festive set for Christmas. Every answer follows straight after the dash, so cover it up if you want to play along.

They work brilliantly as a party icebreaker, a car journey game, a classroom warm-up or a round in a pub quiz.

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Easy riddles for kids

What has hands but can't clap? - A clock.
What has to be broken before you can use it? - An egg.
What gets wetter the more it dries? - A towel.
What has legs but doesn't walk? - A table.
What has a neck but no head? - A bottle.
What goes up but never comes down? - Your age.
What has one eye but can't see? - A needle.
What has keys but can't open locks? - A piano.
What can you catch but not throw? - A cold.
What has many teeth but can't bite? - A comb.

Hard riddles for adults

The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it? - Darkness.
What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? - A stamp.
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? - An echo.
What can fill a room but takes up no space? - Light.
The person who makes it sells it. The person who buys it never uses it. The person who uses it never knows. What is it? - A coffin.
What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish? - A map.
What disappears as soon as you say its name? - Silence.
I have branches but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I? - A bank.
What is always in front of you but can't be seen? - The future.
What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks? - A river.

Funny riddles

What do you call a bear with no teeth? - A gummy bear.
Why did the scarecrow win an award? - He was outstanding in his field.
What building has the most storeys? - A library.
What has four wheels and flies? - A bin lorry.
What starts with T, ends with T and has T in it? - A teapot.
Where does Friday come before Thursday? - In the dictionary.
What's orange and sounds like a parrot? - A carrot.
What kind of room has no doors or windows? - A mushroom.
What do you call a fish with no eyes? - A fsh.
What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary? - Wrong.

Logic and maths riddles

If two's company and three's a crowd, what are four and five? - Nine.
A man has five daughters, and each daughter has one brother. How many children does he have? - Six.
How many months have 28 days? - All twelve.
A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many are left? - Nine.
What number do you get when you multiply all the numbers on a phone keypad? - Zero.
If you're running a race and pass the person in second place, what place are you in? - Second.
Which weighs more, a kilo of feathers or a kilo of bricks? - Neither, they both weigh a kilo.
I'm an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What am I? - Seven.
Mary's father has four children: April, May, June and...? - Mary.
What can you hold in your right hand but never in your left? - Your left hand.

Riddles about everyday things

What has a head and a tail but no body? - A coin.
What gets bigger the more you take away? - A hole.
What belongs to you but other people use it more? - Your name.
What has an eye but cannot see, and is found in a storm? - A hurricane.
What can you break without touching it? - A promise.
What has words but never speaks? - A book.
What goes through cities and fields but never moves? - A road.
What has a thumb and four fingers but isn't alive? - A glove.
What kind of band never plays music? - A rubber band.
What is full of holes but still holds water? - A sponge.

Christmas riddles

What do elves learn at school? - The elf-abet.
What falls but never gets hurt? - Snow.
What's red, white and moves up and down? - Santa in a lift.
What do snowmen eat for breakfast? - Frosted flakes.
What has a bark but no bite, and goes up at Christmas? - A Christmas tree.
Which of Santa's reindeer has the worst manners? - Rude-olph.
What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire? - Frostbite.
What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmas? - Sandy Claws.
What goes ho ho swoosh? - Santa in a revolving door.
How does a sheep say Merry Christmas? - Fleece Navidad.

Key things to remember

Read the riddle slowly - twice.
Look for the word with a double meaning.
Give a clue after 30 seconds to keep it fun.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest riddle?

'The person who makes it sells it, the person who buys it never uses it, the person who uses it never knows' (a coffin) and the 'I speak without a mouth' echo riddle regularly stump adults.

What is a good riddle for kids?

'What has hands but can't clap?' (a clock) and 'What gets wetter the more it dries?' (a towel) are short, fair and fun for ages five and up.

How do you solve riddles?

Read every word literally, then think about double meanings. Most riddles hide a pun or a word used in an unexpected sense.

How do you use riddles at a party?

Read one aloud and give teams 30 seconds to write an answer. Ten riddles make a quick quiz round.

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