Riddles For Kids

Riddle 1 (The Boy at the Carnival) A boy was at a carnival and went to a booth where a man said to the boy, "If I write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you $50. The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agrees; thinking no matter what the carny writes he’ll just say he weighs more or less. In the end the boy ended up paying the man $50. How did the man win the bet?

Riddle 2 (How can this be?) A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

Riddle 3 (Underwater) A magician was boasting one day at how long he could hold his breath under water. His record was 6 minutes. A kid that was listening said, "That’s nothing, I can stay under water for 10 minutes using no types of equipment or air pockets!" The magician told the kid if he could do that, he'd give him $10,000. The kid did it and won the money. Can you figure out how?

Riddle 4 (Half Full or Half Empty?) There is a barrel with no lid and some wine in it. "This barrel of wine is more than half full," said Curly. "No it's not," says Mo. "It's less than half full." Without any measuring implements and without removing any wine from the barrel, how can they easily determine who is correct?

Riddle 5 (Fishing Rod) James ordered a fishing rod, priced at $3.56. Unfortunately, James is an Eskimo who lives in a very remote part of Greenland and the import rules there forbid any package longer than 4 feet to be imported. The fishing rod was 4 feet and 1 inch, just a little too long, so how can the fishing rod mailed to James without breaking the rules? Ideally James would like the fishing rod to arrive in one piece!

Riddle 6 (Clasped hands) How can you clasp someone's hands together in such a manner that they cannot leave the room without unclasping them?

Riddle 7 (Cell breakout) Two convicts are locked in a cell. There is an unbarred window high up in the cell. No matter if they stand on the bed or one on top of the other they can't reach the window to escape. They then decide to tunnel out. However, they give up with the tunneling because it will take too long. Finally one of the convicts figures out how to escape from the cell. What is his plan?

Riddle 8 (Sinking Ship) On a fine sunny day a ship was in the harbor. All of a sudden the ship began to sink. There was no storm and nothing wrong with the ship yet it sank right in front of the spectators eyes. What caused the ship to sink?

Riddle 9 (Murder suspects) A man was found murdered on Sunday morning. His wife immediately called the police. The police questioned the wife and staff and got these alibis: The Wife said she was sleeping. The Cook was cooking breakfast. The Gardener was picking vegetables. The Maid was getting the mail. The Butler was cleaning the closet. The police instantly arrested the murdered. Who did it and how did they know?

Riddle 10 (Filling the room) An old man wanted to leave all of his money to one of his three sons, but he didn't know which one he should give it to. He gave each of them a few coins and told them to buy something that would be able to fill their living room. The first man bought straw, but there was not enough to fill the room. The second bought some sticks, but they still did not fill the room. The third man bought two things that filled the room, so he obtained his father's fortune. What were the two things that the man bought?

Riddle 11 (Reading with the lights off) Sergi and Sally where sitting in their family room one night. While Sergi was watching T.V his wife Sally was reading. All of a sudden the power went out and Sergi decided to go to bed, but Sally kept on reading. With no use of artificial light, Sally kept on reading. How?

Riddle 12 (Explain how the tractor got there?) You are on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is in a remote part of the country and there has never been a bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Every day a tractor and wagon gives hay rides around the island. Puzzled as to how the tractor had gotten onto the island, you ask around and find out that the tractor was not transported to the island by boat or by air. Nor was it built on the island. Explain how the tractor got there?

Riddle 13 (The following sentence is false) The following sentence is false. The preceding sentence is true. Are these sentences true or false?

Riddle 14 (Some cogs are tigs) Some cogs are tigs. All tigs are bons. Some bons are pabs. Some pabs are tigs. Therefore, cogs are definitely pabs. --- TRUE or FALSE?

Riddle 15 (Fox, Goose and a Sack of Corn) A man went on a trip with a fox, a goose and a sack of corn. He came upon a stream which he had to cross and found a tiny boat to use to cross the stream. He could only take himself and one other - the fox, the goose, or the corn - at a time. He could not leave the fox alone with the goose or the goose alone with the corn. How does he get all safely over the stream?

Riddle 16 (Fork in the Road)

A hiker comes to a fork in the road and doesn't know which way to go to reach his destination. There are two men at the fork, one of whom always tells the truth while the other always lies. The hiker doesn't know which is which, though. He may ask one of the men, only one question to find his way. Which man does he ask, and what is the question?

Riddle 17 (Two grandmothers) Two grandmothers, with their two granddaughters; Two husbands, with their two wives; Two fathers, with their two daughters; Two mothers, with their two sons; Two maidens, with their two mothers; Two sisters, with their two brothers; Yet only six in all lie buried here; All born legitimate, How

Riddle 18 (Mailing a Valuable Object) Suppose you want to send in the mail a valuable object to a friend. You have a box which is big enough to hold the object. The box has a locking ring which is large enough to have a lock attached and you have several locks with keys. However, your friend does not have the key to any lock that you have. You cannot send the key in an unlocked box since it may be stolen or copied. How do you send the valuable object, locked, to your friend - so it may be opened by your friend?

Riddle 19 (3 Switches) You are standing in front of a room with one light bulb inside of it. You cannot see if it is on or off. Outside the room there are 3 switches in the off positions. You may turn the switches any way you want to. You stop turning the switches, enter the room and know which switch controls the light bulb. How?

Riddle 20 (Cant be buried in the USA) Why can't Kevin Laroche, who is now living in Canada, be buried in the USA?

Riddle 21 (Why can’t you)

Why can’t you take a photo of an Indian woman using hair curlers?

Riddle 22 (Hobo Cigars) Because cigars cannot be entirely smoked, a hobo who collects cigar butts can make a cigar to smoke out of every 5 butts that he finds. Today, he has collected 25 cigar butts. How many cigars will he be able to smoke?

Riddle 23 (How far from Paris) Two planes take off at the same exact moment. They are flying across the Atlantic. One leaves New York and is flying to Paris at 500 miles per hour. The other leaves Paris and is flying to New York at just 450 miles per hour. Which one will be closer to Paris when they meet?

Riddle 24 (The Invisible Apple) There are 20 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body, or moving in any way other than the eyes. Where can you place an apple so that all but one person can see it?

Riddle 25 (Around the World) What goes around the world, but stays in the corner?

Riddle 26 (Six pairs of Gloves) Cathy has six pairs of black gloves and six pairs of brown gloves in her drawer. In complete darkness, how many gloves must she take from the drawer in order to be sure to get a pair that match? Think carefully!!

Riddle 27 (Other side of the River) Mom, Dad, and 2 kids have come to a river, and they find a boat. It is small and can only carry one adult or 2 kid at a time. Both kids are good rowers, but how can the whole family reach the other side of the river?

Riddle 28 (2 Numbers)

What is the largest possible number you can write using only 2 number - just 2 numbers, no other mathematical symbols?

Riddle 29 (Tallest Mountain) Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the tallest mountain in the world?

Riddle 30 (Birthdays) How many birth days does the average man have?

Riddle 31 (10 equal pieces) A carpenter was in a terrible hurry. He had to work as quickly as possible to cut a very heavy 10 foot plank into 10 equal sections. If it takes 1 minute per cut, how long will it take him to get the 10 equal pieces?

Riddle 32 (Silver Dollars) Why are 1898 silver dollars worth more than 1897 silver dollars?

Riddle 33 (English Word) What English word can have 4 of its 5 letters removed and still retain its original pronunciation.

Riddle 34 (Three Children) Johnny's mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child's name?

Riddle 35 (same Color) In your sock drawer, you have a ratio of 5 pairs of blue socks, 4 pairs of brown socks, and 6 pairs of black socks. In complete darkness, how many socks would you need to pull out to get a matching pair of the same color?

Riddle 36 (hardware Store)

A woman goes into a hardware store to buy something for her house. When asked the price, the clerk replies, "the price of one is twelve cents, the price of forty-four is twenty-four cents, and the price a hundred and forty-four is thirty-six cents. What does the woman want to buy?

Riddle 37 (5 Apples) If there are 5 apples on the counter and you take away 2, how many do you have?

Riddle 38 (Freezing Winter) If, having only one match, on a freezing winter day, you entered a room which contained a lamp, a kerosene heater, and a wood burning stove, which should you light first.

Riddle 39 (Crawl Up) A snail is at the bottom of a well and wants to get out. He manages to crawl up the wall 3 feet each day, but at night he must rest (after all that work during the day) and so he slips back down 2 feet. If the well is 30 feet deep, how long will it take him to get out?

Riddle 40 (Bookworm) On a shelf in the library, there is a 3 book set of almanacs labeled volume 1, volume 2 and volume 3. Each book is 2 1/2 inches thick, the pages being 2 inches thick and each cover is 1/4 inch thick. A bookworm starts eating its way from the 1st page of volume 1 and stops at the last page of volume 3. How far did the bookworm travel?

Riddle 41 (Division) An Old friend of the family left $666,666 to 2 fathers and 2 sons to be split equally. After careful consideration they each happily received $222,222. Why and how was this possible?

Riddle 42 (Around the Circle) If a snail crawls halfway around a circle then turns around and crawls halfway back, is it now back where it started

Riddle 43 (25 Hours) What day of the year has 25 hours in it?

Riddle 44 (Terrible Accident) A man and his son are driving home from a basketball game when they have a terrible accident. The man is taken to the emergency room for treatment and the boy is taken straight to the operating table. The surgeon comes over to the operating table, sees the boy and says “I can't operate on this patient, he's my son! How can this be?

Riddle 45 (Belongs to You) What belongs to you, but is mostly used by others?

Riddle 46 (Left Hand) You are attending a party with some friends when one of them states that there is something in the room that everyone can touch with either of their hands, but you can only touch it with your left hand. What is it?

Riddle 47 (Living in Washington D.C) Can a non-veteran man living in the Washington D.C. area be buried in Arlington National Cemetery?

Riddle 48 (Two People) Two people who have never seen each other meet at the New York Embassy. They decide to have drinks together in a nearby bar. One of them is the father of the other one's son. How is this possible?

Riddle 49 (Is it Legal)) Is it legal in South Dakota for a man to marry his widow's sister?

Riddle 50 (How is this Possible) A man was critically wounded during a vicious fight in 1958; he died and was buried in 1957. How is this possible?

Riddle 51 (On Moses Ark) How many animals of each species did Moses bring aboard the Ark?

Riddle 52 (Water Lily) Water lilies double in area every 24 hours. In spring, there is one water lily on a lake. In sixty days the lake is completely covered with lilies. How many days did it take to cover half of the lake?

Riddle 53 (Ladder) A 10 foot rope ladder whose rungs are one foot wide is hanging over the side of a boat. At this time there is only 1 foot of ladder under the water. It now begins to rain heavily, if it rains at the rate of 1 foot every two hours, how many hours will it take to cover half of the ladder?

Answer to the Riddle 1 The man did exactly as he said he would and wrote "your exact weight" on the paper

Answer to the Riddle 2 The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.

Answer to the Riddle 3 The kid filled a glass of water and held it over his head for 10 minutes.

Answer to the Riddle 4 Tilt the barrel until the wine barely touches the lip of the barrel. If the bottom of the barrel is visible then it is less than half full. If the barrel bottom is still completely covered by the wine, then it is more than half full.

Answer to the Riddle 5 Insert the fishing rod into a box which measures 4 feet on all sides, the fishing rod will fit within the diagonal of the box with room to spare.

Answer to the Riddle 6 Put their hands around a stationary object in the room, which will keep them from leaving the room unless they open their hands.

Answer to the Riddle 7 His plan is to dig the tunnel and pile up the dirt to climb up to the window to escape.

Answer to the Riddle 8 The "Submarine" Captain ordered the crew to dive.

Answer to the Riddle 9 It was the Maid. She said she was getting the mail. There is no mail on Sunday! (Next day air and email doesn't count)

Answer to the Riddle 10 The wise son bought a candle and a box of matches. After lighting the candle, the light filled the entire room.

Answer to the Riddle 11 Sally was blind... she was reading a book by Braille.

Answer to the Riddle 12 It was driven over in winter when the lake was frozen.

Answer to the Riddle 13 Neither, it's a paradox. If the first is true, then the second must be false, which makes the first false… it doesn't work.

Answer to the Riddle 14 False, some cogs may be pabs, but not definitely all of them.

Answer to the Riddle 15 Take the goose over first and come back. Then take the fox over and bring the goose back. Now take the corn over and come back alone to get the goose. Take the goose over and the job is done!

Answer to the Riddle 16 Either man should be asked the following question: "If I were to ask you if this is the way I should go, would you say yes?" While asking the question, the hiker should be pointing at either of the directions going from the fork.

Answer to the Riddle 17 Two widows each had a son, and each widow married the son of the other and then each had a daughter.

Answer to the Riddle 18 Send the box with a lock attached and locked. Your friend attaches his or her own lock and sends the box back to you. You remove your lock and send it back to your friend. Your friend may then remove the lock she or he put on and open the box.

Answer to the Riddle 19 You turn 2 switches "on" and leave 1 switch "off" and wait about a minute. Then enter the room, but just before you enter, turn one switch from "on" to "off". Once in the room, feel the light bulb - if it is warm, but off, it has to be the last switch you turned off. If it is on, it has to be the switch left on. If it is cold and is off, it has to be the switch you left in the off position.

Answer to the Riddle 20 Because he is still alive!

Answer to the Riddle 21 You can't take a picture with hair curlers you need a camera!

Answer to the Riddle 22 6, he makes 5 originals from the 25 butts he found, and after he smokes them he has 5 butts left for another cigar.

Answer to the Riddle 23

They will both be the same distance from Paris when they meet!

Answer to the Riddle 24 Place the apple on one person's head.

Answer to the Riddle 25 A stamp of course!

Answer to the Riddle 26 13. She could possibly take out 6 black left hand gloves and then 6 brown left hand gloves, the next one would have to be either the right hand or left hand match.

Answer to the Riddle 27 The kids row across. One comes back. An adult goes over, and the kid comes back. Both kids row across again, and one comes back. The other adult rows across and the kid comes back. Both kids row across again.

Answer to the Riddle 28 99, this is 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 or 387,420,489

Answer to the Riddle 29 Mount Everest has always been the tallest mountain, even before being discovered!

Answer to the Riddle 30 One, he may have many Birthdays, but only one birth day!

Answer to the Riddle 31 9 minutes. It only takes 9 cuts to get 10 equal sections.

Answer to the Riddle 32 $1,898.00 is one more silver dollar than $1,897.00

Answer to the Riddle 33 Queue

Answer to the Riddle 34 It has to be Johnny. He's the third child!

Answer to the Riddle 35 Four (If you don't agree, try it yourself!)

Answer to the Riddle 36 House Numbers.

Answer to the Riddle 37 You have 2 apples. There are 3 left on the counter, but you have 2

Answer to the Riddle 38 The match of course!

Answer to the Riddle 39 28 days.....the snail averages 1 foot each day, so after 27 days he has reached 27 feet. On the 28th day he crawls up 3 feet during the day, but since he is now at 30 feet and out of the well he no longer slips back 2 feet.

Answer to the Riddle 40 3 inches.....you must visualize that when the books are on the shelf with the binders facing you that the right side of volume 1 is where page 1 is and the left side of volume 3 is the last page of volume 3. This being the case, the worm only eats through the cover of volume 1 (1/4 inch), all of volume 2 (2 1/2 inches), and only the cover of volume 3 (1/4 inch) for a total of 3 inches.

Answer to the Riddle 41

Although it seems there are four people, there are only 3. They encompass 3 generations...a grandfather, his son (who is also a father), and his son. Thus there are 2 fathers and 2 sons, but only 3 people to split the money!

Answer to the Riddle 42 No, it crawls halfway around the circle, but halfway back is only 1/4 of the return trip (half of a half).

Answer to the Riddle 43 Daylight savings time when the clocks are turned backward one hour. Of course, this only takes place where daylight savings time is observed.

Answer to the Riddle 44 The surgeon is the boy's mother

Answer to the Riddle 45 Yours Name.

Answer to the Riddle 46 Your right elbow.

Answer to the Riddle 47 No, it is not legal to bury people who are alive.

Answer to the Riddle 48 The people are husband and wife, both blind since birth

Answer to the Riddle 49 No, it is not legal to marry after you are dead.

Answer to the Riddle 50 He was injured in 1958 B.C. and was buried in 1957 B.C.

Answer to the Riddle 51 None, Noah brought the animals onto the Ark.

Answer to the Riddle 52 59 (fifty nine days)

Answer to the Riddle 53 The ladder will always be 1 foot under the water, because as the water rises...so does the boat!!