Islands have captured the human imagination for centuries. Their isolation and mystery have made them the subject of countless stories and legends. Islands large and small dot the oceans and seas across the globe, each with their own unique characteristics. Some tropical, some frozen, some populated, others deserted. Islands provide the perfect setting for adventure, intrigue and riddles. Here we have compiled 67 riddles all related to the curious topic of islands. The riddles range from easy to quite challenging. See how many you can get right!
The Riddles
Riddle 1
I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have rivers, but no water. What am I?
An island.
Riddle 2
You can hold it without using your hands or arms. What is it?
An island.
Riddle 3
What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Your name.
Riddle 4
A man has to get a fox, a chicken, and a sack of grain across a river. He has a row boat, and it can only carry him and one other thing. If the fox and the chicken are left together, the fox will eat the chicken. If the chicken and the grain are left together, the chicken will eat the grain. How does the man do it?
The man takes the chicken across first and comes back alone. Then he takes the grain across and brings the chicken back. Then he leaves the chicken and takes the fox across. He goes back alone and gets the chicken.
Riddle 5
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano.
Riddle 6
You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy.
A candle.
Riddle 7
I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have rivers, but no water. What am I?
A map.
Riddle 8
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise.
Riddle 9
What goes up but never comes down?
Your age.
Riddle 10
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!
Riddle 11
What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge.
Riddle 12
What month of the year has 28 days?
All of them.
Riddle 13
What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
Silence.
Riddle 14
What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A stamp.
Riddle 15
What can you catch but not throw?
A cold.
Riddle 16
What did the left eye say to the right eye?
Between you and me, something smells!
Riddle 17
What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
A teapot.
Riddle 18
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short.
Riddle 19
A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and left on Friday. How is this possible?
His horse was named Friday.
Riddle 20
What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?
The letter M.
Riddle 21
A man lives on the 10th floor of a building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the ground floor to go to work. When he returns in the evening, he only goes up to the 7th floor and walks the rest. Why?
He is too short to reach the 10th floor buttons, so he can only go to the 7th floor and walk the remaining floors.
Riddle 22
What disappears the instant you say its name?
Silence.
Riddle 23
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
Riddle 24
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
A river.
Riddle 25
What goes up and down the stairs without moving?
The railing.
Riddle 26
What invention lets you look right through a wall?
A window.
Riddle 27
What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.
Riddle 28
What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?
Trouble.
Riddle 29
I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can never touch me or catch me. What am I?
Your shadow.
Riddle 30
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Riddle 31
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise.
Riddle 32
I pass before the sun yet make no shadow. What am I?
Wind.
Riddle 33
The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole.
Riddle 34
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.
Riddle 35
Voiceless it cries, wingless it flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters. What is it?
The wind.
Riddle 36
I turn around once. What is out will not get in. I turn around again. What is in will not get out. What am I?
A key.
Riddle 37
What begins with an E but only has a single letter?
An envelope.
Riddle 38
What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
A road.
Riddle 39
The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole.
Riddle 40
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise.
Riddle 41
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Riddle 42
What goes up but never comes down?
Your age.
Riddle 43
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light.
Riddle 44
What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Your name.
Riddle 45
The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
Riddle 46
I have keys but no locks and space but no rooms. You can enter but you can’t go outside. What am I?
A keyboard.
Riddle 47
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
A road.
Riddle 48
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano.
Riddle 49
What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.
Riddle 50
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Riddle 51
I am weightless but you can see me. Put me in a bucket and I’ll make it lighter. What am I?
A hole.
Riddle 52
What goes up and down but doesn’t move?
Stairs.
Riddle 53
What has words but never speaks?
A book.
Riddle 54
What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.
Riddle 55
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
A road.
Riddle 56
What has four legs but can’t walk?
A table.
Riddle 57
What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.
Riddle 58
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Riddle 59
What is full of holes but can still hold water?
A sponge.
Riddle 60
I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
A map.
Riddle 61
What has a ring but no finger?
A phone.
Riddle 62
What has a bank but no money?
A river.
Riddle 63
What has a bill but can’t fly?
A duck.
Riddle 64
I run all around a backyard, yet never move. What am I?
A fence.
Riddle 65
What has teeth but can’t bite?
A comb.
Riddle 66
What has words but never speaks?
A book.
Riddle 67
I am weightless but you can see me. Put me in a bucket and I’ll make it lighter. What am I?
A hole.
Conclusion
And there you have it – 67 riddles all about the curious topic of islands! Some may have you puzzled for a minute or two before you unravel the answer, while others are quick and easy to solve. How many were you able to decipher on your first try? Regardless of your score, riddles provide an engaging way to stimulate our thinking in new ways. They force us to problem solve from different angles and perspectives. The island setting was an interesting theme to weave throughout these brain teasers. As we reflect on these small isolated lands across the seas, we see that islands and riddles have much in common – both are intriguing, unexplored places just waiting to be discovered. We hope you enjoyed these 67 riddles and maybe picked up some new ways of approaching problems along the way. Feel free to use them to stump and entertain your friends. Until next time, keep unraveling the mysteries!
