Pencils are common everyday objects, but they can also be the source of some fun and challenging riddles. Here are 97 riddles about pencils along with their answers to entertain and stimulate your mind.
Easy Pencil Riddles
Let’s start off with some easy pencil riddles to warm up:
Riddle 1
What has a head, a point, but never walks or talks?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 2
What has lead but cannot walk?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 3
I have a point but no particular view, I have lead but I cannot walk, I can draw and sketch for you.
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 4
What can draw and sketch without a single brush?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 5
I’m long and have a pointy end, I’m made of wood and also lead, I draw smooth and sketchy lines, coloured brightly sometimes. What am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Intermediate Pencil Riddles
Let’s move on to some trickier pencil riddles:
Riddle 6
What gets sharper the more you use it?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 7
I write but cannot read, I have lead but I’m no teacher. What am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 8
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
Answer: A pencil lead.
Riddle 9
What object has keys that open no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but not go in?
Answer: A keyboard.
Riddle 10
What gets shorter when written?
Answer: A pencil.
Math Pencil Riddles
Put on your math thinking caps for these numerical pencil riddles:
Riddle 11
A pencil costs 50 cents. You buy 2 pencils. How much change do you get from a $2 bill?
Answer: $1.
Riddle 12
A pencil costs 10 cents. It is sold at 3 for 25 cents. What is the cost of 12 pencils?
Answer: $1.
Riddle 13
If you can buy 5 pencils for $1.25, how many pencils can you buy for $5?
Answer: 20 pencils.
Riddle 14
If a box contains a dozen pencils and you take out 8, how many pencils remain in the box?
Answer: 4 pencils.
Riddle 15
Sally has twice as many pencils as Lily. Lily has 5 pencils. How many pencils does Sally have?
Answer: Sally has 10 pencils.
What Am I Pencil Riddles
For these riddles, you have to guess what is being described:
Riddle 16
I’m long and yellow, I’m made of wood, I’m topped with pink and black rubber, children use me everyday. What am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 17
I’m grey and thin, I slide right into your mechanical pencil, I leave my mark without a single smear. What am I?
Answer: A pencil lead.
Riddle 18
I’m a handy little tool, I help keep your pencil neat, I peel away any mistakes to reveal a fresh sheet. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 19
I’m long and sharp, made of steel, I help shape your pencil point into a perfect cone. What am I?
Answer: A pencil sharpener.
Riddle 20
I’m flat and made of plastic, I keep your pencils tidy in a straight line. What am I?
Answer: A pencil case.
Funny Pencil Riddles
Make yourself laugh with these funny and silly pencil riddles:
Riddle 21
Why did the pencil cross the road?
Answer: To get to the other side!
Riddle 22
What do you call an upset pencil?
Answer: Pointless!
Riddle 23
Why do pencils get tired easily?
Answer: Because they work non-stop!
Riddle 24
What does a pencil need to write?
Answer: A little motivation!
Riddle 25
Why did the pencil wear a dress?
Answer: She wanted to look sharp!
Rhyming Pencil Riddles
Challenge your rhyming skills with these rhyming pencil riddles:
Riddle 26
I’m long and yellow, made of wood, everyday I’m used for drawing, sketching, math tests – you know I could!
Answer: Pencil.
Riddle 27
I slide up and down, shaving you each day, keeping your point sharp, to write the neatest way.
Answer: Pencil sharpener.
Riddle 28
I’m pink and plump and easy to spot, place me on your pencil, then writing you’ve got.
Answer: Eraser.
Riddle 29
I’m full of lead but I’m no teacher, I write my notes on paper with no single feature.
Answer: Pencil.
Riddle 30
I’m grey and skinny, hidden in wood, I leave my mark without a mess that’s good.
Answer: Pencil lead.
Light and Dark Pencil Riddles
Think about light and dark for these pencil riddles:
Riddle 31
What starts out black and white but ends up grey?
Answer: A used pencil.
Riddle 32
I make drawings light, though I myself am dark. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 33
I let you write in light, though I myself am dark. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 34
I make your words disappear, leaving the paper looking clean and clear. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 35
Though I swipe all day, I never make a mark. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Backwards Pencil Riddles
Read these riddles backwards for the pencil puzzler:
Riddle 36
.yadsidrof yadot em esu sredlihc eht dna ,doow fo edam m’I .gnirutcip rof desu ma I taht gnihton si erehT
Answer: Pencil.
Riddle 37
.kram a ekam reven I hguoht laed I ,yaw taht gnitirw rof desu ma I .ssendam a tuohtiw kram ym evael I
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 38
.dnah ni em ekat ot syawla sredlihc eht tel I .elpoep pleh I taht loohcs eht si sihT
Answer: Pencil.
Riddle 39
.thgil a ni gnitirw uoy tel I .krad si flesti ym hguoht thgil sgniward ekam I
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 40
.tniop dloh I hcihw ,ecno tsrif deroloc ma I sa kraddnah dna thgil ma I
Answer: Pencil.
Short Pencil Riddles
Quick and clever, here are some super short pencil riddles:
Riddle 41
What has lead but no feet?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 42
What has words but no mouth?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 43
What gets shorter when used?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 44
What makes white marks, but isn’t white?
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 45
What makes drawings disappear?
Answer: An eraser.
Colorful Pencil Riddles
Add some color to these pencil riddles:
Riddle 46
I’m colorful and snuggly, I keep your pencils tidy. What am I?
Answer: A pencil case.
Riddle 47
I’m long and yellow, sometimes I’m red, blue, green instead. What am I?
Answer: A colored pencil.
Riddle 48
I’m pink but not a flower, I help pencils every hour. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 49
I come in rainbow colors, but I’m no weather filler, I color your drawings prettier. What am I?
Answer: Colored pencils.
Riddle 50
I slide up and down, in colors of the rainbow, sharpening pencils is my show. What am I?
Answer: A colored pencil sharpener.
Who am I Pencil Riddles
For these riddles, can you figure out who is speaking?
Riddle 51
I slide up and down, shaving you each day, keeping your point sharp, to write the neatest way.
Answer: Pencil sharpener.
Riddle 52
I am long and yellow, made of wood as you can tell, every day you pick me up, with me you can draw and spell.
Answer: Pencil.
Riddle 53
I am pink and plump and easy to spot, place me on your pencil, then writing you’ve got.
Answer: Eraser.
Riddle 54
I am flat and made of plastic, I keep your pencils tidy in a straight line.
Answer: Pencil case.
Riddle 55
I’m thin and long, made of graphite, inside your pencil is where I reside.
Answer: Pencil lead.
Classic Pencil Riddles
Jog your memory with these classic pencil riddles you may have heard before:
Riddle 56
What gets sharper the more you use it?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 57
What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
Riddle 58
What building has the most stories?
Answer: A library.
Riddle 59
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
Riddle 60
What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
Tricky Pencil Riddles
Stretch your mind with these tricky pencil riddles:
Riddle 61
The more you take away, the larger I become. What am I?
Answer: A hole.
Riddle 62
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
Riddle 63
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me anymore. What am I?
Answer: A secret.
Riddle 64
People make me, save me, change me, spend me. What am I?
Answer: Money.
Riddle 65
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
Word Puzzle Pencil Riddles
Solve the word puzzles in these riddles:
Riddle 66
What 10 letter word starts with gas?
Answer: Gasoline.
Riddle 67
What 9 letter word remains the same even after you take away 4 of its letters?
Answer: Queue.
Riddle 68
What 8 letter word can have a letter taken away and it still makes a word. Take another letter away and it still makes a word. Keep on doing that until you have one letter left. What is the word?
Answer: Starting.
Riddle 69
What 4 letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down and can still be read from left to right?
Answer: Noon.
Riddle 70
What 11 letter word reads the same backward and forward?
Answer: Racecar.
Riddles for Kids
Here are some fun pencil riddles for kids:
Riddle 71
What is yellow on the outside and black on the inside?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 72
I’m a stick that writes in black and white. What am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 73
I have a tip, a body, and an eraser. What am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 74
I make your words disappear. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 75
I peel away your mistakes. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Hard Pencil Riddles
Finish off with some hard pencil riddles to really challenge your mind:
Riddle 76
The more of them you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Answer: Footsteps.
Riddle 77
What word looks the same backward and upside down?
Answer: SWIMS.
Riddle 78
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in one thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
Riddle 79
What belongs to you but is used by others?
Answer: Your name.
Riddle 80
I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 81
What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
Riddle 82
What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise.
Riddle 83
What starts with E, ends with E but only contains one letter?
Answer: An envelope.
Riddle 84
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
Riddle 85
What can travel around the whole way without moving?
Answer: A stamp.
Nature Pencil Riddles
Take inspiration from nature for these pencil riddles:
Riddle 86
I’m tall as a tree, and brown like its bark, sharpen me and I’ll leave my mark. Who am I?
Answer: A pencil.
Riddle 87
I’m part of a tree, I’m sometimes painted bright, you hold me in your hand when you want to write. Who am I?
Answer: A wooden pencil.
Riddle 88
Fresh from the earth, refined with care, shaped into letters and numbers I bear. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead.
Riddle 89
I slide around, keeping your pencil neat, you can rub me out like a footprint in concrete. What am I?
Answer: An eraser.
Riddle 90
Like a tiny beaver, I keep your pencil tip sleek, reducing it down week after week. What am I?
Answer: A pencil sharpener.
Food Pencil Riddles
How about some tasty pencil riddles related to food?
Riddle 91
I’m long, yellow, and tasty as can be, monkeys love to nibble on me. What am I?
Answer: A banana.
Riddle 92
Chew me or stew me or make me in a drink, For Snow White’s friends I’m their favorite, I think.
Answer: An apple.
Riddle 93
Slice me for sandwiches, dice me in a salad dressing, scoop me with chips – I’m so refreshing!
Answer: Cucumber.
Riddle 94
Orange as a pencil case, and round as a ball, bite into me for some tangy juice, fruity and small.
Answer: Tangerine.
Riddle 95
Green and bumpy is my skin, slice me open to see what’s within. I’m tart and sweet to balance your diet, rich in potassium to keep you wired.
Answer: Kiwifruit.
General Knowledge Pencil Riddles
A mixed bag of general knowledge pencil riddles:
Riddle 96
What kind of room has no windows or doors?
Answer: A mushroom.
Riddle 97
What month of the year has 28 days?
Answer: All of them!
Conclusion
Did you get stumped or were you able to deduce the answers? Puzzles like these are a fun way to stimulate your mind and think logically – and who knew the humble pencil could be the source of so much intrigue? Next time you pick up a pencil to write or draw, remember there’s more than meets the eye with this handy instrument that has stood the test of time. Sharpen your wits and your pencils, and enjoy bringing these riddles to life on paper!
