Life is filled with mysteries and puzzles for us to solve. Riddles can help us think about life’s biggest questions in creative ways. Here are 71 challenging riddles about the meaning of life, existence, spirituality, relationships and more. See how many you can get right!
1. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel. When you use a towel to dry something, the towel absorbs more water as it “dries” the object.
2. What belongs to you, but others use it more than you?
Your name. Other people use your name more often than you use it yourself.
3. The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole. The more material you remove to create a hole, the bigger the hole becomes.
4. What goes up and down stairs without moving?
The stairs themselves do not move while people use them to walk up and down.
5. What gets broken without being touched?
A promise. You can break a promise without physically touching it.
6. What has a head, a tail, but never any legs?
A coin. Coins have a “head” and “tail” side but no legs.
7. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow. The future always feels like it is coming but never actually arrives.
8. What is it that lives if it is fed, and dies if you give it a drink?
Fire. Fire sustains itself if fed fuel but is extinguished if doused with water.
9. I have cities with no people, forests with no trees, and water with no fish. What am I?
A map. Maps have images of cities, forests, and bodies of water that represent real places but are not alive themselves.
10. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel. When you use a towel to dry something, the towel absorbs moisture.
11. David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?
David. The riddle does not specify David’s relationship to Snap and Crackle. David appears to be the third son.
12. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Your name. People refer to you by your name more often than you refer to yourself.
13. I have keys but no locks and space but no rooms. What am I?
A keyboard. A computer keyboard has keys but doesn’t lock, and presses space but has no physical rooms.
14. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A stamp. Mail with postage stamps can be sent worldwide while the stamp stays in the corner of the envelope.
15. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps. The more steps you take, the more you’ve left behind.
16. What goes up and down but does not move?
A staircase. The stairs themselves stay in place while people step up and down.
17. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel. When you use a towel to dry something, the towel absorbs increasing amounts of water.
18. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano. A piano has many keys but cannot unlock a physical lock.
19. What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?
A glove. A glove has thumb and finger sections but is not a living thing.
20. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Your name. Other people refer to you by your name more than you refer to yourself.
21. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
A road. Roads pass through different terrain but are stationary structures.
22. What has thirteen hearts but no organs?
A deck of cards. A standard deck has 13 heart suit cards but is not biologically alive.
23. What gets sharper the more you use it?
A pencil. As you sharpen a pencil, its point gets finer and sharper.
24. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock. Clock hands move around the clock face but cannot clap.
25. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow. The future always feels impending but never actually occurs.
26. David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _______?
David. We don’t know David’s relationship to the other two sons.
27. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you do?
Your name. People refer to you by your name more often than you refer to yourself.
28. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel. When you use a towel to dry something, the towel absorbs increasing moisture.
29. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
A candle. Candles are tall when new and get shorter as they burn down.
30. What goes all around the yard but never moves?
A fence. A fence encircles the yard but does not itself move.
31. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light. Light can illuminate a room but does not take up physical space.
32. What has words but never speaks?
A book. Books contain words but do not speak.
33. The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole. Taking more material away enlarges the hole.
34. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin. Coins have heads and tails but no main body section.
35. What has hands but cannot clap?
A clock. Clock hands turn but cannot clap.
36. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle. Bottles have necks but no heads.
37. What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
The staircase itself stays in place while people walk up and down it.
38. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness. The more darkness there is, the less visible light there is.
39. What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
A glove. Gloves have digits but are not living things.
40. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin. Coins have heads and tails but no main body.
41. What gets whiter the dirtier it gets?
A chalkboard. As more chalk accumulates, the board gets whiter.
42. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Your name. Other people use your name more than you use it yourself.
43. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age. You age continuously but cannot get younger.
44. What comes down but never goes up?
Rain. Rain falls down but does not rise back up into the clouds.
45. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel. When you use a towel to dry something, the towel absorbs increasing moisture.
46. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
A sponge. Sponges are porous but can absorb and retain water.
47. What is always behind you but never catches up?
Your past. The past remains in the past and does not overtake the present.
48. What goes all around a backyard yet never moves?
A fence. A fence encloses a yard but does not itself move around.
49. What can you break without touching it?
A promise. You can break a promise without physically touching it.
50. What has hands but cannot clap?
A clock. Clock hands turn but cannot clap.
51. What has words but never speaks?
A book. Books contain words but do not speak.
52. What has a head, a tail, but no body?
A coin. Coins have heads and tails but no main body section.
53. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel. A towel absorbs increasing moisture as it dries something.
54. What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
A glove. Gloves have digits but are not living things.
55. What belongs to you but others use it more than you?
Your name. Other people refer to you by your name more than you refer to yourself.
56. What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge. Sponges are very porous but can absorb and contain water.
57. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow. The future always feels impending but never actually occurs.
58. What gets sharper the more you use it?
A pencil. Pencils get sharper and write finer as they are sharpened.
59. What falls but never breaks?
Night or the temperature. Night falls every evening but does not break. Temperature can fall without breaking as well.
60. What belongs to you but others use it more than you?
Your name. Other people refer to you by your name more often than you refer to yourself.
61. What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future. The future is ahead but has not yet come.
62. What can you break without touching it?
A promise. A promise can be broken without physically touching it.
63. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin. Coins have heads and tails but no main body section.
64. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age. You continuously get older but cannot get younger.
65. What comes down but does not go back up?
Rain comes down but does not rise back into the clouds.
66. What has words but never speaks?
A book has words but does not speak.
67. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel absorbs more moisture as it is used to dry something.
68. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle has a neck but no head.
69. What is always behind you but never catches up?
Your past remains behind you but does not catch up to the present.
70. What goes all around a yard but never moves?
A fence goes around the perimeter of a yard but does not itself move.
71. What is broken every time it’s spoken?
Silence is broken when someone speaks.
Conclusion
How did you do with these riddles? Life often feels full of mysteries and riddles we cannot solve. But pondering tricky questions can help expand our perspectives. So keep on seeking creative answers and enjoying the journey wherever questions may lead you!
