Riddles can be an intriguing way to get the mind working and ponder life’s biggest mysteries. Here we explore 87 thought-provoking riddles about two of life’s most profound topics – death and love. Some will tickle your brain, others will tug at your heartstrings. See how many you can get right!
Riddles about Death
1. What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down?
It gets toad away.
2. Why was the undertaker feeling guilty?
He felt bad about burying people.
3. What stays in the corner yet travels the world?
A postage stamp.
4. What gets broken without being held?
A promise.
5. I have cities with no people, forests with no trees, and water with no fish. What am I?
A map.
6. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen in the beginning or end of either month?
The letter “R”.
7. What goes up and down but doesn’t move?
A staircase.
8. What begins with “t”, ends with “t” and contains “t”?
A teapot.
9. I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?
A nose.
10. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
11. What is it that lives if it is fed, and dies if you give it a drink?
A fire.
12. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.
13. What has hands but cannot clap?
A clock.
14. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A postage stamp.
15. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Your name.
16. The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
17. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel.
18. What goes up and never comes down?
Your age.
19. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter M.
20. What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future.
21. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps.
22. What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise.
23. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?
A bank.
24. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age.
25. What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge.
26. What month of the year has 28 days?
All of them.
27. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow.
28. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel.
29. What never asks questions but must always be answered?
A doorbell.
30. What belongs to you, but is used more by others?
Your name.
Riddles about Love
31. I follow you all day, yet you can never touch me. What am I?
Your shadow.
32. Two mothers and two daughters went out to eat. Everyone ate one burger, yet only three burgers were eaten. How is this possible?
They were a grandmother, mother, and daughter.
33. What is it that is yours but loved by others?
Your kindness.
34. I have keys but no locks and space but no walls. You can enter but you can’t go outside. What am I?
A keyboard.
35. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footprints.
36. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A stamp.
37. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I?
A secret.
38. What goes up when the rain comes down?
An umbrella.
39. What has a head, a tail, but never any legs?
A penny.
40. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.
41. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.
42. What has words but never speaks?
A book.
43. What goes all around the yard without moving?
A fence.
44. What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?
A glove.
45. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
46. What gets broken without being held?
A promise.
47. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel.
48. What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg.
49. I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
A map.
50. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age.
Riddles with a Life Lesson
51. A doctor and a boy were fishing. The boy was the doctor’s son, but the doctor was not the boy’s father. Who was the doctor?
The doctor was his mother.
This riddle teaches us not to make assumptions based on gender stereotypes.
52. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow.
This reminds us to live in the present moment, not the future.
53. I follow you all day, yet you can never touch me. What am I?
Your shadow.
We cannot escape our past actions and words, which follow us like a shadow.
54. What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?
Your name.
Our name and reputation depend on how we treat others.
55. I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?
A map.
The map is not the territory – sometimes we mistake representations for reality.
56. What is broken without being held?
A promise.
We should think carefully before making promises and keep them when we do.
57. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel.
Things are not always as they seem at first glance.
58. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I?
A secret.
Sharing secrets can build intimacy, but we must also know when to keep confidences.
59. What begins with “t”, ends with “t”, and contains “t”?
A teapot.
What goes around comes around – our actions have consequences.
60. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age.
Time marches on, change is the only constant in life.
Funny Riddles
61. What do you call a pig that does karate?
A pork chop.
62. Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer?
He couldn’t see himself doing it!
63. How do trees get online?
They just log in.
64. What did the left eye say to the right eye?
Between you and me, something smells!
65. What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator!
66. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite!
67. What musical instrument is found in the bathroom?
A tuba toothpaste.
68. Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up?
It was two tired!
69. What did one wall say to the other?
I’ll meet you at the corner!
70. What do you call a dog magician?
A labracadabrador.
Hard Riddles
71. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short.
72. A man was found dead in a field of snow. The only tracks next to him were of a man and dog. What happened?
The man got in a hot air balloon with his dog, passed out from lack of oxygen at high altitude, and fell to his death.
73. You see a boat filled with people, yet there isn’t a single person on board. How is that possible?
All the people on the boat are married.
74. What can you break by just saying its name?
Silence.
75. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps.
76. A doctor and a taxi driver are both in love with the same attractive woman. The taxi driver had to go on a long trip that would last a week. Before leaving, he gave the woman seven apples. Why?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
77. A man builds an ordinary house with four sides except that each side faces south. A bear comes to the door and rings the doorbell. What color is the bear?
White. The house is built at the North Pole.
78. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after removing four of its five letters?
Queue.
79. The more it dries, the wetter it gets. What is it?
A towel.
80. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
A candle.
Classic Riddles
81. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.
82. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel.
83. What month of the year has 28 days?
All of them.
84. What goes up and down but does not move?
Stairs.
85. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
86. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano.
87. What has a head, a tail, but no body?
A coin.
Conclusion
Riddles come in all shapes and sizes, from simple to complex. Some make us laugh, others enlighten us, and a good riddle can even change the way we perceive the world. What they have in common is getting our minds working to unravel the puzzle. We hope you enjoyed exercising your brain and pondering some of life’s enduring mysteries with this collection of death and love riddles.
