Hell has long been a source of fascination and fear. Throughout history, religions and mythologies around the world have imagined hell as a place of punishment and suffering in the afterlife. Hell features prominently in many religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and more. The vivid depictions of hell have inspired countless works of art, literature, and film. Hell continues to capture our imaginations today.
Riddles about hell allow us to explore ideas about morality, sin, the afterlife, and the human condition. While hell riddles are often playful, they can also be thought-provoking by challenging us to consider philosophical questions about good and evil. Here are 89 riddles about hell with answers to ponder.
General Riddles about Hell
1. What’s black and white and red all over?
A newspaper in hell.
2. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, water but no rain. What am I?
Hell.
3. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps to hell.
4. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel in hell.
5. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Your name in hell.
6. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?
Nothing in hell.
7. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A stamp in hell.
8. What has a head, a tail, but never any legs?
A coin in hell.
9. What gets wet with drying?
A towel in hell.
10. What has keys but can’t open locks?
A piano in hell.
11. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Your name in hell.
12. What goes up but never comes down?
Your age in hell.
13. What comes down but never goes up?
Rain in hell.
14. What gets broken without being held?
A promise in hell.
15. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
A road in hell.
Riddles about the Devil and Demons
16. What does the devil use to call his friends?
A hellphone.
17. Why did the demon lose the race?
Because he ran out of gas.
18. Why don’t demons take the bus to work?
Because they like to carpool.
19. How do demons keep their hair in place?
With hairspray from hell.
20. Why do demons wear slippers?
So they can tip toe around hell.
21. What do you call a sleepy demon?
A nap-fiend.
22. How do demons keep track of their schedules?
They use a hellendar.
23. Why couldn’t the demon see his friends?
Because he lost his contacts.
24. Why do demons hang out in odd numbers?
Because they can’t even.
25. What do you get when you cross a demon and a vampire?
A blood-thirsty monster from hell.
26. What did one demon say to the other while eating dinner in hell?
“Let’s raise hell tonight!”
27. Why did the demon cross the road?
To get to the hell on the other side.
28. What do you call a sad cup of coffee in hell?
De-mocha.
29. Why was the demon fired from his job?
He raised too much hell in the office.
30. How does a demon make a long distance call?
With a hell-o-phone.
Riddles about Fire and Ice
31. What burns longer – a match in hell or a candle in heaven?
A match in hell burns longer.
32. What is better – a cold day in hell or a hot day in heaven?
A cold day in hell is better.
33. What is black when you buy it, red when you burn it, and gray when you throw it away?
Charcoal in hell.
34. What is black and white and red all over?
A sunburned penguin in hell.
35. If you drop me I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?
A mirror in hell.
36. I am weightless but can be seen. Put me in a bucket, and I’ll make it lighter. What am I?
A hole in hell.
37. In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink! What color were the stairs?
There were no stairs, it’s a one-story house in hell.
38. What can you catch but not throw?
A cold in hell.
39. Bayonets don’t hurt ’em, bullets just ricochet. Bombs can’t shatter ’em, napalm won’t ignite ’em. What are they?
Ice cubes in hell.
40. What did the firefighter name his twin sons?
Jose and Hose B in hell.
Riddles about Death and Suffering
41. A man was to be sentenced, and the judge told him, “You may make a statement. If it is true, I’ll sentence you to four years in prison. If it is false, I’ll sentence you to six years in prison.” After the man made his statement, the judge decided to let him go free. What did the man say?
He said “You’ll sentence me to six years in prison.” If it was true, then the judge should have sentenced him to four years. But because it was false, he had to let him go.
42. 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?
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
43. A man walks into a restaurant and orders a bowl of soup. After tasting the soup, he calls the waiter over and hands him a spoon and says, “Taste the soup.” Why?
The soup was too salty, so he wanted the waiter to taste how bad it was.
44. A man builds an ordinary house with four sides except that each side has a southern exposure. A bear comes to the door and rings the doorbell. What color is the bear?
White – the house had to be at the North Pole for all four sides to have a southern exposure.
45. You bury me when I am alive and dig me up when I die. What am I?
A plant.
46. What English word has three consecutive double letters?
Bookkeeper.
47. The more it dries, the wetter it gets. What is it?
A towel.
48. What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in one thousand years?
The letter M.
49. He has married many women, but has never been married. Who is he?
A priest.
50. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Your name.
Riddles about Eternity
51. What is forever and comes in different sizes?
Infinity in hell.
52. The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole in hell.
53. What is broken every time it’s spoken?
Silence in hell.
54. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
Silence in hell.
55. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
Seven in hell.
56. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow in hell.
57. I don’t have eyes, but once I did see. Once I had thoughts, but now I’m white and empty. What am I?
A skull in hell.
58. What are two things people never eat before breakfast?
Lunch and dinner in hell.
59. The man who invented it doesn’t want it. The man who bought it doesn’t need it. The man who needs it doesn’t know it. What is it?
A coffin in hell.
60. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel in hell.
Riddles about Religion
61. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short in hell.
62. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness in hell.
63. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light in hell.
64. What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?
Your name in hell.
65. People make me, save me, change me, raise me. What am I?
Money in hell.
66. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
The letter “R” in hell.
67. What letter of the alphabet has the most water?
The letter “C” in hell.
68. What building has the most stories?
The library in hell.
69. What tastes better than it smells?
A tongue in hell.
70. What is the center of gravity?
The letter V in hell.
Riddles about Food and Drink
71. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
A sponge in hell.
72. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow in hell.
73. What belongs to you but is used mostly by others?
Your name in hell.
74. I have cities with no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
A map in hell.
75. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel in hell.
76. Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name?
Mary!
77. What can you catch but not throw?
A cold in hell.
78. What starts with “e” and ends with “e” but only has one letter in it?
An envelope in hell.
79. What goes up and down but does not move?
Stairs in hell.
80. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin in hell.
Riddles about Animals
81. What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel in hell.
82. What has four legs but can’t walk?
A table in hell.
83. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock in hell.
84. What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
A clock in hell.
85. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle in hell.
86. What animal keeps the best time?
A watchdog in hell.
87. What’s black and white and red all over?
A zebra with a sunburn in hell.
88. What goes up when rain comes down?
An umbrella in hell.
89. What building has the most stories?
The library in hell.
Conclusion
While hell is often depicted as a frightening place of eternal punishment, these riddles remind us that it can also be an endless source of fascination and imagination. The vivid imagery of fire, demons, suffering, and darkness has inspired philosophers, writers, and artists for centuries. At their best, hell riddles playfully tap into these primal fears while also getting us to think imaginatively and wrestle with profound existential questions. Whether read as a harmless joke or a thought-provoking allegory, these 89 riddles offer a fun glimpse into hell while challenging us to reflect on morality, the afterlife, and what really matters most during our time on earth.
