Are you planning to have a fun time with your family? Or is there a get-together for your family that you are arranging and want to make a hit?
Then, you can always add “riddle me this” brainteasers and puzzles to make it all the more fun and exciting!
Riddles are no doubt great. They make you think, entertain you, and moreover, they allow you to have a memorable time with your favorite people.
The best part?
No matter what the age of your family member is, anyone can take part in answering the riddles. After all, there are puzzles for everyone so that no one in your family gets bored.
I am a big fan of riddles. I have some go-to riddles for both kids and adults that I mostly ask when I get the opportunity.
But your case doesn’t have to be like mine. For example, you can bring a variation in your riddles so that the person answering them doesn’t get bored of the same old repetitive ones.
If you are out of exciting riddles and want to get your hands on some new and think-provoking riddles, this article is for you!
I have done the hard work for you. Here I have come up with the most entertaining brainteasers that are sure to tease your brains.
And did I tell you that you can ask these puzzles to all the members of your family?
Yes, no discrimination!
Read on.
Why Play Brainteasers With Your Family?
How often do all your family members sit together and spend quality time with each other? And how often do you play interesting games to make it a fun time and strengthen your bond?
Well, if your answer is “not too often,” then honey, this is the time that you start doing so.
Spending time with your family is very important. You get to know what is going on in everyone’s life, which you may otherwise not know because of your busy schedule.
And when there are games such as “riddle me this” brainteasers, your time with each other can become entertaining.
Riddles can be of many types. From Rubik’s cubes and jig-saw to join the dots and see the picture and guess – there are so many to choose from.
You can play this fun game on your family game nights to make the most of it.
Did I tell you there are multiple benefits of playing brainteasers with your family?
Some of them are discussed here.
You Become a Pro at Troubleshooting
Does it often happen to you that you want to solve a specific problem but need help finding ways to come to a solution? Or do you find it difficult to remember things?
Brainteasers can come to your rescue!
When someone asks you a puzzle, the first thing that you do is think about the possible answer. And you think about all the ways in which you think you can get to the correct answer. Isn’t it?
Try solving at least some riddles with your family regularly. Why? Because it improves your problem-solving skills, boosts your memory, and makes you perform better while learning something.
You Start Thinking Fast
When you are given a brainteaser to solve, you exercise your brain to get the correct answer. This makes you learn how to think on your feet.
What happens when you exercise?
It strengthens your bones and builds muscles, right?
The same thing happens to your brain when you try to solve a riddle. It teases your brain and builds a sharper mind that moves fast.
It is kind of – your brain hitting the gym! I hope you understand what I am trying to say here.
Your Thinking Skills Sharpen
There are different kinds of brainteasers for different age groups. And they vary in their level of difficulty.
But there is one thing common in all these.
You need to think out of the box if you want to answer them correctly.
This builds in you a different type of thought process. This requires you to calm your mind, go step by step, stay fully alert and look at the puzzle from all angles. And when you do all these, your thinking skills sharpen, and you become better at solving riddles.
It Can Destress You
Did you know that solving riddles can destress you?
It can be highly relaxing for your tired brain when you come home after working the whole day and sit with your entire family to have a game of riddles.
Yes, I know, your brain works all this time to find the answer to the brainteaser, but even so, this process can relax your brain like no other.
So, instead of scrolling your phone or watching TV, play brainteasers with the people close to your heart. You will feel better.
Riddle Me This: Puzzles for Your Entire Family
You can do a lot of fun things when you are with your family. One such thing is playing brainteasers with them.
It keeps you all glued to it from start to finish and makes your brain work.
You can find puzzles for the kids, teens, and adults in your family here. To make it easier for you, to select the riddles that fit a particular family member best, I have divided them into a few sections.
So, suppose you are looking for brainteasers of any specific difficulty level or any specific age group. In that case, you can go directly to that section.
Let’s get started without further ado!
A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, an attractive girl named Sarah. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Sarah seven apples. Why?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Then I turned east and hiked for 3 miles. I then turned north and hiked for 3 miles, at which time I came upon a bear inside my tent eating my food! What color was the bear?
White, since the only place you can do that is the North Pole and polar bears are the only kind of bears that live there.
A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.
What is special about these words: job, polish, herb?
They are pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized.
I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody. What am I?
Pencil lead
A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?
The river was frozen
I can’t be bought, but I can be stolen with a glance. I’m worthless to one, but priceless to two. What am I?
Love
Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?
The number 8
No matter how little or how much you use me, you change me every month. What am I?
A calendar
How can 8 + 8 = 4?
When you think in terms of time. 8 AM + 8 hours= 4 o’clock.
What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and water, but no fish?
A map
A red house is made from red bricks. A blue house is made from blue bricks. A yellow house is made from yellow bricks. What is a greenhouse made from?
Glass
There is a word in the English language in which the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four signify a great man, and the whole word, a great woman. What is the word?
Heroine
In my hand I have two coins that are newly minted. Together, they total 30 cents. One isn’t a nickel. What are the coins?
A quarter and a nickel
What is harder to catch the faster you run?
Your breath
You’re escaping a labyrinth and there are three exits. Exit A leads to an inferno. Exit B leads to an assassin. Exit C leads to a lion that hasn’t eaten in 3 years. Which exit do you pick?
Exit C. If a lion hasn’t eaten in 3 years, it has definitely starved to death.
What fastens two people yet touches only one?
A wedding ring
What kind of running means walking?
Running out of gas
What can be swallowed, but can also swallow you?
Pride
They fill me up and you empty me, almost every day; if you raise my arm, I work the opposite way. What am I?
A mailbox
Which three letters can frighten a thief away?
ICU
First I am dried, then I am wet. The longer I swim, the more taste you get. What am I?
Tea
Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, grown in the darkness, A lady’s delight. What am I?
A pearl
My voice is tender, my waist is slender and I’m often invited to play. Yet wherever I go I must take my bow or else I have nothing to say. What am I?
A violin
I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. What am I?
A piano
I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud! I am NOT a gossip but I do get involved with everyone’s dirty business. What am I?
A vacuum cleaner
I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot I’m always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?
A windmill
What can be stolen, mistaken, or altered, yet never leaves you your entire life?
Your identity
Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet you miss me, when I have flown. What am I?
Time
Some try to hide, some try to cheat, but time will show, we always will meet. Try as you might, to guess my name, I promise you’ll know, when you do claim. Who am I?
Death
Four cars come to a four-way stop, all coming from a different direction. They can’t decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. They do not crash into each other, but all four cars go. How is this possible?
They all made right-hand turns
Take one out and scratch my head, I am now black but once was red. What am I?
A match
I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?
Sleep
He has married many women, but has never been married. Who is he?
A preacher
My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale. What am I?
A book
What has no hands but might knock on your door, and if it does you better open up?
Opportunity
What do you throw out when you want to use it but take in when you don’t want to use it?
An anchor
I can be short and sometimes hot. When displayed, I rarely impress. What am I?
Temper
What can be driven although it doesn’t have wheels, sliced but stays whole?
A golf ball
The cost of making only the maker knows, Valueless if bought, but sometimes traded. A poor man may give one as easily as a king. When one is broken pain and deceit are assured. What is it?
Promise
What rocks but does not roll?
A rocking chair
Shoot at me a thousand times and I may still survive. But, one scratch from me and you will find your prospects take a dive. What am I?
An eight-ball
Why is the letter F like death?
Because without it life is a lie, or it makes life a lie.
You do not want to have it, But when you do have it, You do not want to lose it. What is it?
A lawsuit
An elevator is on the ground floor. There are four people in the elevator including me. When the lift reaches the first floor, one person gets out and three people get in. The lift goes up to the second floor, 2 people get out, 6 people get in. It then goes up to the next floor up, no one gets out but 12 people get in. Halfway up to the next floor up the elevator cable snaps, it crashes to the floor. Everyone else dies in the elevator except me. How did I survive?
I got off on the first floor
Guess the next three letters in the series GTNTL.
I, T, S. The complete sequence is the first letter of every word in the sentence.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has a long one. Michael J. Fox has a short one. Madonna does not use hers. Bill Clinton always uses his. The Pope never uses his. What is it?
Last name
The number 8,549,176,320 is a unique number. What is so special about it?
This is the only number that includes all the digits arranged in alphabetical order.
Find a number less than 100 that is increased by one-fifth of its value when its digits are reversed.
45 (1/5 of 45 = 9, 9 + 45 = 54)
Riddle Me This: Easy Brainteasers for Kids
Let’s start with the kids, as they are the heart of a family. What say?
Is this the first time you are introducing brainteasers to your kids?
Then, you must be very careful while selecting their riddles.
The riddles should be easy but still able to make your kids think and learn something new. In addition, they should be able to hold your kids’ interest. You may already know most kids have a concise attention span.
So, if the riddles are difficult, your kids will no longer be interested in solving one.
In this section, I have included riddles that perfectly match your needs. They can make your kids think and have fun at the same time.
People make me, save me, change me, raise me. What am I?
Money
What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
A clock
Why are ghosts bad at lying?
Because you can see right through them.
What five-letter word gets shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short
With pointed fangs I sit and wait; with piercing force I crunch out fate; grabbing victims, proclaiming might; physically joining with a single bite. What am I?
A stapler
A word I know, six letters it contains, remove one letter and 12 remains, what is it?
Dozens
I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but if you water me, I’ll die. What am I?
A fire
How many letters are there in the English alphabet?
18. 3 in ‘the’, 7 in ‘English,’ and 8 in ‘alphabet.’
What breaks yet never falls, and what falls yet never breaks?
Morning and night
Turn us on our backs and open up our stomachs, and you will be the wisest but at the start a lummox. What are we?
Books
What type of cheese is made backward?
Edam
What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps
What’s black, white, and blue?
A sad zebra
I turn once, what is out will not get in. I turn again, what is in will not get out. What am I?
A key
What is the end of everything?
The letter “g”
I am a word of letters three; add two and fewer there will be. What word am I?
Few
What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg
Which jungle animal is hiding “inside” these letters – L P H N?
An elephant
A mouse wants to get in better shape. She’s going to start by climbing the stairs. Starting on the fourth floor, she climbs up five stories, down seven stories, up six stories, down three stories, and up four stories again. What floor is she on?
The ninth floor
Can you add one mathematical symbol in between 55555 to equal 500?
555-55=500
What letters are easily found in every single day of the week?
D-A-Y
What’s left when you take an ant out of a plantain?
Something plain
Jason turned left, right, spun around 360°, stood on his head, and then walked backward before taking a picture of the sunset. What direction was he pointing?
West
Paul the Polar Bear had a birthday party, with each guest bringing five fish. A nasty little penguin stole two fish but there were still 198 fish left. How many people came to the party?
40
If tomorrow I said “the day before yesterday was Saturday”, which day is today?
Sunday
Frankie the Frog had an accident and broke one of his legs. He went to the hospital on Monday, November 1 and left on November 30. What day of the week is it?
Tuesday
Rico the Rabbit eats 1 carrot on Sunday, 2 carrots on Monday, 4 carrots on Tuesday, and so on. How many carrots does he eat every week?
127 carrots
Fill me up with hot or cold. Put anything in me and I will make sure I’ll hold. What am I?
A cup
I come down, but I never go up. What am I?
Rain
I have hands, but I cannot clap. What am I?
A clock
I am full of holes, but I can still hold a lot of water. What am I?
A sponge
Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
New Zealand
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
The egg. Dinosaurs laid eggs long before there were chickens!
Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
Mount Everest.
What happened in 1961 and will not happen again until 6009?
The year will again be the same upside down
Can you make the letters in NEW DOOR one word?
One Word
If the red house is on the right side and if the blue house is on the left side where’s the white house?
In Washington DC
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin
There was a pink one-story house in a cozy neighborhood. Everything in it was pink – the walls, the carpets, the furniture, even the cat! What color were the stairs?
There were no stairs. It’s a one-story house!
What is Rupert the Bear’s middle name?
The
If there are three apples & you took away two, how many do you have?
Two
What’s the longest word in the English language?
Smiles. Because there’s a mile between the beginning and the end
Ten copycats were sitting in a boat. One jumped out. How many were left?
None. They were copycats so they all jumped out!
In baseball, how many outs are there in an inning?
Six. Each team has 3
How far can a puppy run into the woods?
Halfway. When they get there, they’re on their way out!
What gets wetter & wetter the more it dries?
A towel
What the exact middle of America?
The letter “r”
It is completely dark inside the cabin where you are. There is only one match for you. Which paper, a lamp, or a candle do you light first?
First, you light the match.
As you take them, what increases?
Footsteps.
Who is bigger, Mr. Bigger, Mrs. Bigger, or their child?
The child, who is a little bigger.
The owner of the farm has 17 sheep, but nine of them die. How many still exist?
Nine.
There are 12 months in a year. There are 31 days in seven months. So how many months are there in a year that have 28 days?
All of them do.
What weighs more? One pound of rocks or one pound of feathers?
None. Each one has a pound in weight.
Riddle Me This: Difficult Brainteasers for Kids
Do your kids already know how riddles work? Are they quite good at solving them?
Then it is time to test how proficient they are at it. Finally, you need to increase the level of difficulty for them. And that is what this section is all about.
Here I have listed brainteasers that are more challenging to solve. Your kids need to think more and think of all the possible answers.
Read the following.
Question: What has a bed but never sleeps, can run but never walks, and has a bank but no money?
Answer: A river.
Question: It’s been around for millions of years but is never more than a month old. What is it?
Answer: The moon.
Question: Tommy throws the ball as hard as he could, and it comes back to him, without anything or anybody touching it. How?
Answer: He threw the ball upwards.
Question: A girl fell off a 40 feet ladder, but still did not get hurt. Why?
Answer: She fell off the bottom step.
Question: What happens once in a lifetime, twice in a moment, but never in one hundred years?
Answer: The letter ‘m’
Question: I fly all day but I stay in the same spot. What am I?
Answer: A flag.
Question: Where can you find cities, towns, and streets but no people?
Answer: A map
Question: It is weightless, you can see it. If you put it in a barrel it will make it lighter?
Answer: A hole.
Question: What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
Question: What is as light as a feather but the strongest man cannot hold for long?
Answer: Breath.
Question: What has 13 hearts, but no other organs?
Answer: A deck of cards
Question: The more that there is of this, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
Question: Two fathers and two sons are in a car, yet there are only three people in the car. How is this possible?
Answer: They are grandfather, father and son.
Question: I am the outstretched fingers that seize and hold the wind. Wisdom flows from me in other hands. Upon me are sweet dreams dreamt. My merest touch brings laughter. What am I?
Answer: A feather.
Question: The wise and knowledgeable man is sure of it. Even the fool knows it. The rich man wants it. The greatest of heroes fears it. Yet the lowliest of cowards would die for it.
Answer: Nothing.
Riddle Me This: Brainteasers for Adults
It doesn’t mean you are good at solving puzzles if you are an adult. In fact, the case can be just the opposite. You may always come up with incorrect answers.
I am not very good at solving puzzles. I know the answers to some of the most common ones. But if you ask me something new and uncommon, I will definitely be giving the wrong answer!
If you are anything like me, this section is for you. It includes puzzles that don’t require you to think much and that are easy to solve.
See for yourself!
Riddle: What is there one of in every corner and two of in every room?
Answer: The letter O.
Riddle: What is stronger than steel but can’t handle the sun?
Answer: Ice.
Riddle: What is it that no one wants, but no one wants to lose?
Answer: A lawsuit.
Riddle: The more there is, the less you see. What am I?
Answer: Darkness.
Riddle: How do eight eights add up to one thousand?
Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.
Riddle: I have many faces, expressions, and emotions, and I am usually right at your fingertips. What am I?
Answer: Emojis.
Riddle: I’m full of holes but strong as steel. What am I?
Answer: A chain.
Riddle: A barrel of water weighed 60 pounds. Someone put something in it and now it weighs 40 pounds. What did the person add?
Answer: A hole.
Riddle: You are my brother, but I am not your brother. Who am I?
Answer: I am your sister.
Riddle: If all Wibbles are Criggles, all Borkins are Kwumblins, no Hoggles are Borkins, and all Criggles are Borkins, is it true that all Borkins are Criggles?
Answer: Nope.
Riddle: What word has kst in the middle, in the beginning, and at the end?
Answer: Inkstand
Riddle: What bird do you associate with lifting weight?
Answer: A crane.
Riddle: Two men are in a desert. They both have backpacks on. One of the guys is dead. The guy who is alive has his backpack open and the guy who is dead has his backpack closed. What is in the dead man’s backpack?
Answer: A parachute.
Riddle: What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?
Answer: A man. The times of day represent a lifetime. He crawls as a baby, walks as an adult, and walks with a cane as an elder man.
Riddle: One day, a magician was boasting about how long he could hold his breath underwater. His record was 6 minutes. A kid that was listening said, “that’s nothing, I can stay underwater for 10 minutes using no equipment or air pockets!” The magician told the kid if he could do that, he’d give him $10,000. The kid did it and won the money. How?
Answer: He filled a glass of water and held it above his head for 10 minutes.
Riddle: What is it that given one, you’ll have either two or none?
Answer: A choice.
Riddle: I can be long or can be short, I can be black, white, brown, or purple. You can find me the world over and I am often the main feature. What am I?
Answer: Rice.
Riddle: How can the number four be half of five?
Answer: IV, the Roman numeral for four, is half (two letters) of the word five.
Riddle: I am something people celebrate or resist. I change people’s thoughts and lives. I am obvious to some people but, to others, I am a mystery. What am I?
Answer: Age.
Riddle: Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Answer: The Milky Way.
Riddle: It can’t be touched and can’t be felt. It can’t be seen, or heard, or smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and any empty holes it fills. It comes early and follows after, ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
Riddle: What grows up while growing down?
Answer: A goose or duck.
Riddle: A man runs away from home. He turns left but keeps running. After some time, he turns left again and keeps running. He later turns left once more and runs back home. Who was the man in the mask?
Answer: A baseball player running the bases.
Riddle: Sometimes narrow, sometimes wide, wind or rain, I stay outside. Even if there’s heat or snow, from house to house I will still go. What am I?
Answer: A path.
Riddle: I have three feet, but I can’t stand without leaning. I have no arms to hold me up. What am I?
Answer: A yardstick.
Riddle: What can go through glass without breaking it?
Answer: Light.
Riddle: It’s shorter than the rest, but when you’re satisfied, you bring it up. What is it?
Answer: Your thumb.
Riddle: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I’m invisible, but you can call for me. What am I?
Answer: An echo.
Riddle: What has ten letters and starts with gas?
Answer: An automobile
Riddle: What connects two people, but touches only one?
Answer: A wedding ring
Riddle: They can be harbored, but few hold water. You can nurse them, but only by holding them against someone else. You can carry them, but not with your arms. You can bury them, but not in the earth.
Answer: Grudges.
Riddle: What has a neck but no head, two arms, and no hands?
Answer: A shirt.
Riddle: I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
Riddle: A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Afterward, they enjoy a lovely dinner. How?
Answer: She took a picture of him and developed it in her darkroom.
Riddle: I only lie down once in my life—when I die. What am I?
Answer: A tree.
Riddle: Who can finish a book without finishing a sentence?
Answer: A prisoner.
Riddle: What ancient invention allows people to see through walls?
Answer: Windows.
Riddle: One knight, a ninja, and a pirate were on a ship. The ship began to sink. The ninja and the pirate jumped into a lifeboat before the ship went underwater. Who died?
Answer: Windows.
Riddle: What has ten letters and starts with gas?
Answer: Automobile.
Riddle: A man drove from New York City to Los Angeles in four days. At the end of his trip, he discovered that one of his tires had been punctured. How was he able to make the drive?
Answer: It was his spare tire.
Riddle: “Good day, Admiral,” the waiter greets a man as he enters a restaurant.
Answer: Because he was dressed in his uniform.
Riddle: A man declares bankruptcy and pushes his car up to a hotel. Why?
Answer: He’s playing Monopoly.
Riddle: You are competing in a cross-country race as a cyclist. You pass the person in the second position just before the finish line. What position did you come in?
Answer: Second position. If you overtake the person in second, they drop to third, and you take second place.
Riddle: It enters dry and gets out wet, and the longer it is in, the more powerful it becomes. It is what?
Answer: A tea bag.
Conclusion
Or do you want me to add some more to this list?
Did you like the “riddle me this” brainteasers? Which section do you think has the best riddles?
Let me know in the comments!
Hi, I am Claudia, I run TheQueenMomma’s content creation team, personally focusing on topics which add joy to people’s life. You would usually see me writing on topics like Jokes, Riddles, Truth & Dare as well as Baby Names etc.
In my professional career, I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s in sociology and specialize in media and crime. Once I finished my education, I began my career working as a journalist, reporting on various topics like crime, justice and family law. Even though I valued journalism, I came to the realization that I wanted to have a more immediate impact in people’s lives as well as bring joy to them.