Writing is an essential form of communication that allows us to share ideas, stories, information, and more. Riddles about writing provide an entertaining way to think about this important skill. In this article, we have collected 91 writing riddles with answers covering different aspects of writing like grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, and more.
Riddles about grammar and punctuation
Grammar and punctuation rules allow us to clearly communicate our intended meaning. Here are some riddles about the building blocks of writing:
1. I’m at the end of thought, and the end of time. A period will show when I’m done. What am I?
Answer: A sentence.
2. My first is in writing but never in print. My second’s in printing but never in writing. My whole helps writing to make perfect sense. What am I?
Answer: Grammar.
3. What has a head, a tail, but never any legs?
Answer: A coin. Or a sentence.
4. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
5. What building has the most stories?
Answer: The library.
6. What does every word have that is not always used?
Answer: Letters.
7. What flies without wings?
Answer: Time.
8. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?
Answer: Nothing.
9. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
10. What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow.
11. What gets wet while drying?
Answer: A towel.
12. David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?
Answer: David.
13. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
14. What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
15. What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
16. What has four legs but can’t walk?
Answer: A table.
17. What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
18. People buy me to eat, but never eat me. What am I?
Answer: A plate.
19. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
20. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
21. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
22. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
23. What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
24. What has a face but no head?
Answer: A clock.
25. What belongs to you but others use it more?
Answer: Your name.
26. What building has the most stories?
Answer: A library.
27. What is broken every time it’s spoken?
Answer: Silence.
28. What is so fragile even saying its name breaks it?
Answer: Silence.
29. What starts with a T, ends with a T and has T in it?
Answer: A teapot.
30. I have keys but no locks, space but no rooms, you can enter but you can’t go outside. What am I?
Answer: A keyboard.
Riddles about spelling and vocabulary
The English language contains complex spelling and vocabulary rules. These riddles test your knowledge:
31. What 5-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
32. A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, named Mary. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Mary seven apples. Why?
Answer: Because an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
33. What word looks the same backwards and upside down?
Answer: SWIMS.
34. What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?
Answer: Heroine.
35. I follow you all day long, But when the sun sinks low, You can no longer see me, And no footsteps do I show. What am I?
Answer: Your shadow.
36. What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
37. What belongs to you but others use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
38. The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
Answer: A hole.
39. What starts with “e” and ends with “e” and only contains one letter?
Answer: An envelope.
40. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I?
Answer: A secret.
41. People make me, save me, change me, spend me. What am I?
Answer: Money.
42. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
43. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
44. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
45. If you drop me I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?
Answer: A mirror.
46. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?
Answer: A bank.
47. What kind of room has no doors or windows?
Answer: A mushroom.
48. What goes up and never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
49. What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel.
50. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano.
Riddles about the writing process
Coming up with ideas, organizing thoughts, and putting everything together is an intricate process. These riddles focus on the different aspects of writing:
51. What always ends everything?
Answer: The letter G.
52. A man rode out of town on Sunday, he stayed a whole night at a hotel and rode back to town the next day on Sunday. How is this possible?
Answer: The horse’s name is Sunday.
53. What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer: Your name.
54. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
55. What can travel around the whole way without moving?
Answer: A postage stamp.
56. What has many keys but can’t open one door?
Answer: A piano.
57. Forward I am heavy, but backwards I’m not. What am I?
Answer: The word “ton”.
58. What can you catch but never throw?
Answer: A cold.
59. What goes through cities and fields, but never moves?
Answer: A road.
60. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
61. What can fill up a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
62. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I?
Answer: A secret.
63. People make me, save me, change me, spend me. What am I?
Answer: Money.
64. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
Answer: A sponge.
65. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?
Answer: A bank.
66. What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow.
67. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
68. What building has the most stories?
Answer: Library.
69. Forward I am heavy, but backwards I’m not. What am I?
Answer: Ton.
70. What is broken every time it’s spoken?
Answer: Silence.
Riddles about writers and writing tools
From pens and pencils to authors and poets, these riddles are all about the people behind the words:
71. What does an island and the letter T have in common?
Answer: They are both in the middle of water.
72. A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, named Mary. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Mary seven apples. Why?
Answer: Because an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
73. I have a head like a cat, a tail like a rat, ears like a bat, tusks like a boar. Who am I?
Answer: An elephant.
74. What 5 letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
75. The more of them you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Answer: Footsteps.
76. What word looks the same backwards and upside down?
Answer: SWIMS.
77. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
78. What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment but not once in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
79. A man 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.
80. What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
81. What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow.
82. What is full of holes but still holds water?
Answer: A sponge.
83. What goes through towns and hills but never moves?
Answer: A road.
84. Forward I am heavy, backwards I’m not. What am I?
Answer: Ton.
85. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
Answer: A stamp.
86. What has four fingers and a thumb yet is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
87. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
88. What can you catch but not throw?
Answer: A cold.
89. What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
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 is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
Conclusion
Riddles can be a fun and engaging way to explore different aspects of writing. They encourage us to think creatively, make connections between ideas, and problem solve. While some rely on trickery or wordplay, the best riddles subtly nudge our minds towards unexpected perspectives. I hope you enjoyed this collection of 91 writing riddles and their answers. Let me know if you have any other favorites!
