Clocks have fascinated humans for centuries. Their intricate gears and ability to precisely track the passage of time seem almost magical. Clocks are also a great source of riddles and brain teasers. Here are 107 clock riddles with answers to challenge your mind.
Easy clock riddles
Let’s start with some easy clock riddles to warm up:
Q: I have hands but no arms, a face but no eyes. What am I?
A: A clock.
Q: I go up but never come down. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Q: What has hands but can’t clap?
A: A clock.
Q: What has numbers but no math?
A: A clock.
Q: I tick and tock all around the clock. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Q: I move fast but take my time. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Q: I turn around but always stay in the same place. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Q: I have numbers and hands but cannot pick anything up. What am I?
A: A clock.
Q: What has hands but can’t write?
A: A clock.
Q: What has numbers and hands but no eyes and ears?
A: A clock.
Q: I move forward endlessly but always stay in place. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Intermediate clock riddles
Let’s move on to some intermediate clock riddles that require a bit more thinking:
Q: I have 12 brothers, each one of us goes forward and backward yet we never move. What are we?
A: The numbers on a clock face.
Q: I never stop but I never move. What am I?
A: The hands of a stopped clock.
Q: People buy me to watch others but never for themselves. What am I?
A: A clock.
Q: What gets wet while drying?
A: A clock. The pendulum swings as the escapement allows the gears to move, thus allowing the hands to dry while the clock gets wet.
Q: I run but never walk, have a bed but never sleep, have a mouth but never talk. What am I?
A: A river or the water that powers a water clock.
Q: I have no hands but I always point in the right direction. What am I?
A: The hands of a broken clock.
Q: I have numbers, hands, and 12 faces yet I cannot count. What am I?
A: A clock.
Q: I have no hands, no face, but I can tell you the time. What am I?
A: An alarm clock or digital clock.
Q: I go forward and backward every 24 hours. What am I?
A: The hands on an analog clock.
Q: The more of me you have, the less you can see. What am I?
A: Darkness or night time.
Q: I tick and never tock, lose track of time around the clock. What am I?
A: A broken clock.
Q: I move in circles but always stay in the same place. What am I?
A: The hands of a clock.
Q: People make me, break me and tell the time with me. What am I?
A: A clock.
Hard clock riddles
Now let’s try some hard clock riddles to really get those gears turning:
Q: The more of this you have, the less you can see. What is it?
A: Time.
Q: What goes up and down but does not move?
A: A clock pendulum.
Q: I am where yesterday follows today and tomorrow is in front of me. What am I?
A: The dictionary.
Q: I am free but priceless. You can’t own me but you can use me. What am I?
A: Time.
Q: I always run but never walk, often murmur but never talk, have a bed but never sleep, have a mouth but never eat. What am I?
A: A river.
Q: Yesterday is today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream. What am I?
A: Today.
Q: I cannot be bought, cannot be sold. If you destroy me I will become more valuable. What am I?
A: Time.
Q: I never stop moving but I never leave my place. What am I?
A: A clock that is stopped but still attached to the wall.
Q: What can bring back the dead; make clocks move backwards; and come in all shapes and sizes?
A: A movie.
Q: I am always hungry and need food every 24 hours. What am I?
A: A clock.
Q: The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
A: Time.
Q: I’m tall when I’m young and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
A: A candle.
Q: What breaks yet never falls, and what falls yet never breaks?
A: Day falls and night breaks.
Q: I have no voice but I can teach you all there is to know. What am I?
A: A book or a clock.
Q: I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. What am I?
A: A piano.
Q: What speaks without a mouth and hears without ears?
A: An echo.
Tricky clock riddles
Lastly, try these super tricky clock riddles that may stump you:
Q: You walk into a room with a match, a lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
A: The match.
Q: What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
A: The railing.
Q: What English word has three consecutive double letters?
A: Bookkeeper.
Q: What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment but never in one thousand years?
A: The letter M.
Q: What belongs to you but others use it more than you?
A: Your name.
Q: The more there is, the less that you see. What could it be?
A: Darkness.
Q: What has roots nobody sees that stretch widely to trees?
A: A mountain.
Q: What goes up and never comes down?
A: Your age.
Q: What has many needles but doesn’t sew?
A: A Christmas tree.
Q: What has hands but can’t clap?
A: A clock.
Q: What has four fingers and one thumb but is not alive?
A: A glove.
Q: What belongs to you but other people use it more than you do?
A: Your name.
Q: People make me, save me, change me, spend me. What am I?
A: Money.
Q: What gets broken without being held?
A: A promise.
Q: What has a head, a tail but no body?
A: A coin.
Q: What goes up but never comes down?
A: Your age.
Q: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
A: The letter M.
Q: David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?
A: David.
Q: What has hands but can’t clap?
A: A clock.
Q: What has a face but no head?
A: A clock.
Q: What has a neck but no head?
A: A bottle.
Q: What goes up and down but doesn’t move?
A: Stairs.
Q: What has four legs but can’t walk?
A: A table.
Conclusion
There you have it – 107 challenging riddles all about clocks and time! Some make you think outside the box while others play with tricky wording. How many were you able to solve? Riddles are a fun way to stimulate your mind and see things from different perspectives. So grab a clock and keep these riddles handy next time you need a mental workout!
