Death and rebirth are central themes that have fascinated humankind since the beginning of time. They evoke fundamental questions about the meaning of life, what happens after we die, and the cycle of life, death and renewal. Riddles that explore these themes in thought-provoking ways can help us reflect on our mortality and spirituality. Here are 99 intriguing riddles about death and rebirth with detailed answers.
1. What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow. Each new day brings us closer to death but it never actually arrives.
2. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
3. The man who made it didn’t want it. The man who bought it didn’t need it. The man who used it didn’t know it. What is it?
Answer: A coffin.
4. What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
5. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, water but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
6. What goes up and never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
7. A king has no queen, a child has no parents, a bird has no feathers. What is it?
Answer: An egg.
8. I come from a mine and get surrounded by wood always. Everyone uses me. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
9. People buy me to eat but never eat me. What am I?
Answer: A plate.
10. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
11. I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
12. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
13. Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name?
Answer: Mary.
14. 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?
Answer: Because apples a day keeps the doctor away!
15. A man was found dead in a field of snow. The only tracks next to him were those of a dog named Sam. Police think Sam killed the man. How did Sam kill the man while leaving no footprints except his own?
Answer: Sam is the man’s seeing eye dog.
16. A boy was rushed to the hospital emergency room. The ER doctor saw the boy and said “I can’t operate on this boy, he is my son!” But the doctor was not the boy’s father. How can this be?
Answer: The doctor is his mother.
17. A man builds a house with all 4 sides facing south. A bear walks by, what color is the bear?
Answer: White. The house is at the North Pole so all directions face south.
18. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
19. A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and left on Friday. How is this possible?
Answer: The horse’s name is Friday.
20. Feed me and I live, give me drink and I die. What am I?
Answer: Fire.
21. 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.
22. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
23. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle.
24. What gets wetter as it dries?
Answer: A towel.
25. What month of the year has 28 days?
Answer: All of them.
26. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
Answer: A sponge.
27. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
Answer: A map.
28. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
29. People make me, save me, change me, raise me. What am I?
Answer: Money.
30. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
31. What can you break without touching it?
Answer: A promise.
32. What disappears as soon as you say its name?
Answer: Silence.
33. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
34. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
35. I have branches but no fruit, trunk but no bark, leaves but no buds. What am I?
Answer: A bank.
36. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
37. What has many teeth but can’t bite?
Answer: A comb.
38. What has a face but no eyes, hands but no arms, tells but never asks for the time?
Answer: A clock.
39. The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?
Answer: Darkness.
40. What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
41. What belongs to you but others use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
42. People make me, save me, change me, raise me. What am I?
Answer: Money.
43. What starts with E, ends with E, but only has one letter?
Answer: Envelope.
44. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
45. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
46. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
47. I have branches but no fruit, trunk but no bark, leaves but no buds. What am I?
Answer: A bank.
48. What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
49. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
50. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
51. David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and what’s the name of the third son?
Answer: David.
52. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
53. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
54. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
55. I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle.
56. What month has 28 days?
Answer: All months have at least 28 days.
57. What starts with E, ends with E, and only contains one letter?
Answer: Envelope.
58. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
59. The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?
Answer: Darkness.
60. I’m light as a feather yet the strongest man can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I?
Answer: Breath.
61. What disappears as soon as you say its name?
Answer: Silence.
62. What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
63. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
64. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
65. What has four wheels and flies?
Answer: A garbage truck.
66. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
67. What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
68. What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
69. What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
70. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
71. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
72. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
73. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
74. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
Answer: A river.
75. What starts with P, ends with E, and has thousands of letters?
Answer: Post office.
76. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
77. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
78. What is broken every time it’s spoken?
Answer: Silence.
79. What gets wetter as it dries?
Answer: A towel.
80. Mary has four daughters, and each of her daughters has a brother. How many children does Mary have?
Answer: 5 – each daughter has 1 brother, so 4 daughters + 4 sons = 8 children. Mary herself is the 9th child.
81. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
82. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
83. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
84. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
85. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not living?
Answer: A glove.
86. What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
87. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
88. What goes around the world but stays in a corner?
Answer: A stamp.
89. What breaks yet never falls, and what falls yet never breaks?
Answer: Day breaks and night falls.
90. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
91. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
92. I am light as a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold me for more than 5 minutes. What am I?
Answer: Breath.
93. I go all around the world, but never leave the corner. What am I?
Answer: A stamp.
94. What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
95. What has words, but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
96. What has a ring but no finger?
Answer: A telephone.
97. It belongs to you but other people use it more than you do. What is it?
Answer: Your name.
98. People buy me to eat but never eat me. What am I?
Answer: A plate or dish.
99. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
