The post office is an integral part of our lives. It delivers our mail, packages, and secrets. The post office has a rich history and folklore surrounding it. Here are 65 riddles about the post office to challenge your brain and test your knowledge.
Riddles about Mail
#1
I’m paper or plastic, I hold your letter inside. What am I?
Answer: An envelope
#2
I’m a small piece of paper that shows where your letter is headed. What am I?
Answer: A stamp
#3
I’m the unique number and pattern of letters and numbers that helps get your mail where it needs to go. What am I?
Answer: A zip code
#4
I’m the box where your postal worker puts your mail. What am I?
Answer: A mailbox
#5
I’m the truck that picks up, transports, and delivers your mail. What am I?
Answer: A mail truck
#6
I’m the place you buy stamps, weigh packages, and mail letters. What am I?
Answer: A post office
#7
I’m the official who delivers your mail. What am I?
Answer: A postal worker or letter carrier
#8
I’m the wheeled cart a postal worker uses to hold mail for delivery. What am I?
Answer: A mail bag
#9
I’m the long device used to reach high up mailboxes. What am I?
Answer: A mail hook
#10
I’m the room or building where mail is sorted and processed. What am I?
Answer: A post office distribution center
Riddles about Stamps and Packages
#11
I’m a machine that prints official marks on letters and packages. What am I?
Answer: A postmarking machine
#12
I’m the little piece of paper you lick and stick to an envelope before you mail it. What am I?
Answer: A stamp
#13
I’m a machine at the post office that weighs packages and letters. What am I?
Answer: A scale
#14
I’m the unique series of numbers and letters printed on a stamp. What am I?
Answer: A serial number
#15
I’m the machine at the post office that will count your stamps for you. What am I?
Answer: A stamp vending machine
#16
I’m the official paper attached to a package that lists delivery and return addresses. What am I?
Answer: A shipping label
#17
I’m the barcode printed on packages to aid in sorting and delivery. What am I?
Answer: A tracking barcode
#18
I’m the tape used to securely seal packages. What am I?
Answer: Packaging tape
#19
I’m the form you fill out when mailing an international package. What am I?
Answer: A customs form
#20
I’m the box, envelope or mailer used to ship a package. What am I?
Answer: Packaging
Riddles about Postal Services
#21
I’m the extra fee charged to deliver a package especially fast. What am I?
Answer: Express shipping
#22
I’m the service that provides tracking information about a shipment. What am I?
Answer: Delivery confirmation
#23
I’m the insurance purchased in case a package is lost or damaged. What am I?
Answer: Shipping insurance
#24
I’m the standard time frame for delivery within the continental US. What am I?
Answer: 1-3 business days
#25
I’m the option to require a signature upon package delivery. What am I?
Answer: Certified mail
#26
I’m the service that forwards your mail from one address to another. What am I?
Answer: Mail forwarding
#27
I’m the fee charged to ship packages that weigh over a certain amount. What am I?
Answer: Oversized or overweight shipping
#28
I’m the international mail service. What am I?
Answer: Global shipping
#29
I’m the option to leave a package at a home without a signature. What am I?
Answer: Release delivery
#30
I’m the department in charge of investigating missing mail. What am I?
Answer: Postal Inspectors
Riddles about Postal Workers
#31
I’m the uniform worn by mail carriers and postal workers. What am I?
Answer: A navy blue shirt and pants
#32
I’m the hat worn by some old-timey postal workers. What am I?
Answer: A flat-brimmed hat
#33
I’m the satchel carried by mail carriers over the shoulder. What am I?
Answer: A mailbag
#34
I’m the necklace worn by a mail carrier to hold keys. What am I?
Answer: A key lanyard
#35
I’m the handcart used by mail carriers to transport packages. What am I?
Answer: A mail trolley
#36
I’m the long walking route taken each day by a mail carrier. What am I?
Answer: Their delivery route
#37
I’m the shelter on a walking route to protect carriers from the elements. What am I?
Answer: A mail gazebo
#38
I’m the dog that is a mail carrier’s nemesis. What am I?
Answer: A mailbox-guarding dog
#39
I’m the smaller vehicle driven by a rural route mail carrier. What am I?
Answer: A mail jeep
#40
I’m the number of miles walked each day by city mail carriers. What am I?
Answer: Around 8-10 miles per day
Riddles about Mailboxes
#41
I’m the tiny door that allows mail to be inserted into a mailbox. What am I?
Answer: The mail slot
#42
I’m the signal flag raised on a rural mailbox when outgoing mail is waiting. What am I?
Answer: The red flag
#43
I’m the box next to or near the front door where mail is delivered. What am I?
Answer: The mailbox
#44
I’m the locked box where apartment dwellers get their mail. What am I?
Answer: A cluster mailbox
#45
I’m the post or pole that holds up a mailbox. What am I?
Answer: A mailbox post
#46
I’m the unique combination on a locked cluster mailbox. What am I?
Answer: A mailbox key
#47
I’m the official word painted on a curbside mailbox. What am I?
Answer: The word “mail”
#48
I’m the metal part of a mailbox used for protection. What am I?
Answer: The mailbox door
#49
I’m the address printed on the side of a mailbox. What am I?
Answer: The house or apartment number
#50
I’m the receptacle at the post office where you can drop off mail after hours. What am I?
Answer: A collection box
Riddles about Mailing Processes
#51
I’m the process of preparing direct mail marketing pieces for postal service. What am I?
Answer: Mail merge
#52
I’m the process that gets your mail sorted by zip code and transported across the country. What am I?
Answer: Mail processing
#53
I’m the process of updating addresses after someone moves. What am I?
Answer: A change-of-address form
#54
I’m the part of an address containing city, state, and zip code. What am I?
Answer: The delivery line
#55
I’m the unique identifier for tracking packages. What am I?
Answer: A tracking number
#56
I’m the extra step of running mail through machines to sanitize it. What am I?
Answer: Irradiation
#57
I’m the bending of letters to see if anything is hidden inside. What am I?
Answer: Flexing
#58
I’m the facility that processes bulk business mail. What am I?
Answer: A Network Distribution Center
#59
I’m the person who unloads and loads mailbags from delivery trucks. What am I?
Answer: A mail handler
#60
I’m the device that post offices use to cancel stamps. What am I?
Answer: A postal meter
Riddles about Post Office History
#61
I’m the first Postmaster General and a famous Founding Father. Who am I?
Answer: Benjamin Franklin
#62
I’m the system created in 1863 to deliver mail across the American West. What am I?
Answer: The Pony Express
#63
I’m the Cabinet department that oversees the post office. What am I?
Answer: The Post Office Department/United States Postal Service (USPS)
#64
I’m the Act of Congress that created the universal postal system. What am I?
Answer: The Postal Act of 1792
#65
I’m the first postage stamp issued in America in 1847. What am I?
Answer: The five-cent Franklin stamp
Conclusion
These riddles cover a wide range of topics related to the post office’s history, services, equipment, workers and folklore. From the Pony Express to cluster boxes to Benjamin Franklin, the post office has a rich culture and story to tell. How many were you able to guess correctly? Test your family and friends and see how their knowledge of postal trivia compares.
