Communication is essential in our daily lives. Riddles about communication encourage us to think more deeply about how we interact with others. Here are 83 riddles about communication along with their answers to test your communication skills.
Riddles about Communication
Verbal Communication Riddles
1. I don’t have eyes, but I help you see. I don’t have ears, but I help you hear. What am I?
Answer: Your voice. Your voice allows you to communicate what you see and hear to others.
2. People buy me to break me. What am I?
Answer: Silence. People want silence, but have to make noise to get it.
3. What starts with E, ends with E, but only contains 1 letter?
Answer: An envelope. It begins and ends with ‘E’ but only contains the letter inside.
4. The more you take away, the larger I become. What am I?
Answer: A hole. As you take more away, a hole becomes bigger.
5. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer: Your name. Others use your name to refer to you more than you use it yourself.
Nonverbal Communication Riddles
6. People buy me to break me. What am I?
Answer: Silence. People want silence, but have to make noise in order to obtain it.
7. What starts with E, ends with E, but only contains 1 letter?
Answer: An envelope. It begins and ends with E but only contains the letter inside.
8. Sally’s mother had three daughters. The first was named April, the second was named May. What was the name of the third daughter?
Answer: Sally. The riddle does not specify that the daughters’ names are all different.
9. A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, named Mary. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Mary seven apples. Why?
Answer: Because apples a day (week) keeps the doctor away!
10. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
Effective Communication Riddles
11. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
12. I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I?
Answer: Your shadow.
13. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
14. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
15. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
16. The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?
Answer: Darkness.
17. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
18. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
19. What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
20. What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
Listening and Feedback Riddles
21. What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg.
22. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
23. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
24. You see me once in June, twice in November and not at all in May. What am I?
Answer: The letter ‘e’.
25. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not living?
Answer: A glove.
26. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
27. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R”.
28. What flows and has banks but is not a financial institution?
Answer: A river.
29. What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
30. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
Public Speaking Riddles
31. What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
32. What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
33. What has one eye but can’t see?
Answer: A needle.
34. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
35. What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
36. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
37. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R”.
38. What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
39. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
40. What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
Conflict Resolution Riddles
41. What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg.
42. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
43. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
44. You see me once in June, twice in November and not at all in May. What am I?
Answer: The letter ‘e’.
45. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not living?
Answer: A glove.
46. What flows and has banks but is not a financial institution?
Answer: A river.
47. What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
48. What has one eye but can’t see?
Answer: A needle.
49. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
50. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
Cross-cultural Communication Riddles
51. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
52. I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I?
Answer: Your shadow.
53. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
54. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
55. The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?
Answer: Darkness.
56. What has keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
57. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
58. What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
59. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
60. What flows and has banks but is not a financial institution?
Answer: A river.
Persuasive Communication Riddles
61. What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg.
62. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
63. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
64. What has cities, but no houses?
Answer: A map.
65. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not living?
Answer: A glove.
66. What has one eye but can’t see?
Answer: A needle.
67. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
68. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
69. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R”.
70. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
Deception and Dishonesty Riddles
71. People buy me to break me. What am I?
Answer: Silence.
72. The more you take away, the larger I become. What am I?
Answer: A hole.
73. Sally’s mother had three daughters. The first was named April, the second was named May. What was the name of the third daughter?
Answer: Sally. The riddle does not specify that the daughters’ names are all different.
74. A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, named Mary. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Mary seven apples. Why?
Answer: Because apples a day (week) keeps the doctor away!
75. I don’t have eyes, but I help you see. I don’t have ears, but I help you hear. What am I?
Answer: Your voice.
76. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
77. I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I?
Answer: Your shadow.
78. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
79. You see me once in June, twice in November and not at all in May. What am I?
Answer: The letter ‘e’.
80. What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
Conclusion
Communicating effectively requires listening, clarity, empathy and an open mind. While verbal communication consists of our spoken words, nonverbal communication includes our body language, tone of voice, facial expressions and more. These riddles encourage us to think more carefully about the ways we interact with others. Solving riddles requires paying close attention to details while looking at something from different perspectives. Flexing our mental muscles with fun riddles can help sharpen our communication skills!
81. Why was the fibbing frog fired from his job as a telephone operator?
Answer: He enjoyed playing prank calls more than connecting real calls!
82. Why don’t sharks like fast food?
Answer: They prefer meals that are bite-sized instead of super-sized!
83. Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer?
Answer: He just couldn’t see himself doing it!
