Tricky Riddles with Answers
15 tricky riddles with answers, from easy warm-ups to wordplay that catches most people out. Pick an answer, see the explanation, and get your score instantly. No sign-up.
15 questionsMixed (easy → hard)~3 minNo timer
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These tricky riddles with answers are the classic kind that make a room go quiet for a few seconds before someone laughs. There are 15 of them, from warm-ups about keys, towels and clocks to wordplay riddles about spelling, letters and a car that bankrupts its owner at a hotel. Each one has four options and a single answer that makes sense once you see it.
Use them as tricky questions and answers for a family game night, a class warm-up, an office icebreaker or a long car journey. Read the riddle out, give everyone ten seconds, then reveal the explanation. The last few lean on wordplay, so read every word of the question slowly: the trick is usually hiding in the wording, not in the facts.
One thing to take away: most tricky riddles and answers work by making your brain fill in an assumption, like hearing 'how many months have 28 days' as 'which month has only 28 days'. Spot the assumption and the riddle falls apart.
Tricky Riddles with Answers questions with answers
Show answers
I have plenty of keys, yet I can't open a single lock. What am I?
- A treasure chest
- A piano
- A wallet
- A diary
Answer: A piano. A piano's keys make music, not open doors. A standard full-size piano has 88 of them.
The more I dry, the wetter I get. What am I?
- An umbrella
- A bar of soap
- A towel
- A hair dryer
Answer: A towel. A towel soaks up the water as it dries you, so it gets wetter with every use.
I have a face and two hands, but I can never clap. What am I?
- A clock
- A monkey
- A drum
- A mirror
Answer: A clock. A clock's dial is its face and its pointers are its hands. They go round all day but never clap.
You can catch me, but you can never throw me. What am I?
- A ball
- A cold
- A frisbee
- A stone
Answer: A cold. You catch a cold from someone else, but there is no way to throw it back.
I go up every year and never once come down. What am I?
- A kite
- A ball
- An aeroplane
- Your age
Answer: Your age. Your age only ever goes up. Kites, balls and planes all come back down sooner or later.
I have cities without houses, forests without trees and rivers without water. What am I?
- A map
- A painting
- A desert
- A dream
Answer: A map. A map shows cities, forests and rivers as symbols and lines, with nothing real inside them.
I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old. What am I?
- A tree
- A candle
- A mountain
- A building
Answer: A candle. A candle starts tall and burns shorter the longer it is lit.
Some months have 31 days and some have 30. How many months have 28 days?
- One
- Four
- Twelve
- None
Answer: Twelve. Every month has at least 28 days, so all twelve have them. Most people jump straight to February.
What has 13 hearts but no other organs?
- An octopus
- A hospital
- A love letter
- A pack of cards
Answer: A pack of cards. A standard 52-card pack has 13 cards in the hearts suit. An octopus, for the record, has three hearts.
If you have me, you want to share me. Once you share me, you don't have me any more. What am I?
- A secret
- A pizza
- A joke
- A photo
Answer: A secret. A secret stops being a secret the moment you tell it to someone.
The more of these you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
- Photos
- Footsteps
- Breaths
- Notes
Answer: Footsteps. Every step you take leaves a footprint behind you.
It comes once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years. What is it?
- The letter M
- A second
- A blink
- The letter O
Answer: The letter M. Look at the spelling: 'minute' has one M, 'moment' has two and 'thousand years' has none.
Which word is spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
- Dictionary
- Misspelled
- Wrong
- Incorrectly
Answer: Incorrectly. The word 'incorrectly' is always spelled I-N-C-O-R-R-E-C-T-L-Y in a dictionary. The riddle plays on reading the question literally.
Which five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
- Short
- Small
- Brief
- Petty
Answer: Short. Add 'er' to 'short' and you get 'shorter'. The word grows, but its meaning gets shorter.
A man pushes his car up to a hotel and tells the owner he is bankrupt. What is going on?
- His car ran out of fuel
- He is playing Monopoly
- He lost a bet
- He is a hotel inspector
Answer: He is playing Monopoly. In Monopoly your token can be a car, and landing on a rival's property with a hotel on it can wipe you out.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find tricky riddles with answers?
Right here. Play the quiz to see each answer and its explanation as you go, or scroll to the answer key to read all 15 riddles and answers at once. They are easy to read aloud to a group.
What are some good tricky riddles for adults?
The wordplay ones at the end of this quiz work best with adults: the word spelled incorrectly in every dictionary, the five-letter word that gets shorter when you add two letters, and the man who goes bankrupt at a hotel. They reward careful reading more than general knowledge.
How many riddles are in this quiz?
There are 15 riddles, each with four options and one answer. They run from easy to hard, and most people finish in about five minutes.
Can I play these tricky riddles online for free without signing up?
Yes. The quiz is free and starts straight away with no account or login. You see your score at the end and can share it with friends.