Last updated:
Hard Riddles (with answers) to Solve
Here are some challenging riddles to test your thinking skills, along with their answers.
Get ready to think! Some of these really harder riddles are trickier than others so dig deep, hunker down, and enjoy your time on riddles.com!
Riddle:
I am something people love or hate. I change people's appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?
Answer: Age.
Riddle:
Only one color, but not one size, Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, Doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?
Answer: It's a shadow!
Riddle:
Who is that with a neck and no head, two arms and no hands? What is it?
Answer: A shirt.
Riddle:
If eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equal?
Answer: 11 o'clock plus 2 hours = 1 o'clock
9 o'clock plus 5 hours = 2 o'clock
Riddle:
How can you write down eight eights so that they add up to one thousand?
Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.
Riddle:
It can't be seen, can't be felt, can't be heard, and can't be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, Ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?
Answer: The dark.
Riddle:
What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
Answer: Queue. Remove the "ueue" and you are left with "Q".
Riddle:
Three playing cards in a row. Can you name them with these clues? There is a two to the right of a king. A diamond will be found to the left of a spade. An ace is to the left of a heart. A heart is to the left of a spade. Now, identify all three cards.
Answer: Ace of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Two of Spades.
Riddle:
What is it that given one, you'll have either two or none?
Answer: A choice.
Riddle:
George, Helen, and Steve are drinking coffee. Bert, Karen, and Dave are drinking soda. Using logic, is Elizabeth drinking coffee or soda?
Answer: Elizabeth is drinking coffee. The letter E appears twice in her name, as it does in the names of the others that are drinking coffee.
Riddle:
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height. Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by five centimeters each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Answer: The nail would be at the same height since trees grow at their tops.
Riddle:
I am four times as old as my daughter. In 20 years time I shall be twice as old as her.
How old are we now?
Answer: I am 40 and my daughter is 10.
Riddle:
Which of the following words doesn't belong in the group and why? CORSET, COSTER, SECTOR, ESCORT, COURTS
Answer: Courts. All of the others are anagrams of each other.
Riddle:
Lily is a lilypad in a small pond. Lilly doubles her size each day, On the 20th day she covers the whole pond. On what day was Lily half the size of the pond?
Answer: Day 19, it's not 10 because on day 20 she doubled from day 19, so 19 must be half the size of the pond.
Riddle:
What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?
Answer: Eat and Ate.
Riddle:
The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father's age is the son's age reversed. How old could they be? (3 possible solutions).
Answer: 51 and 15. 42 and 24. 60 and 06.
Riddle:
There are two sisters; one gives birth to the other, who in turn gives birth to the first. Who are they?
Answer: Day and night. Both words that are both feminine in the Greek language.
Riddle:
There was a man who was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister. Yet, there was nothing wrong with what he had done. Why?
Answer: His father was in front of him when he was born, therefore he was born before him. His mother died while giving birth to him. Finally, he grew up to be a minister and married his sister at her ceremony.
Riddle:
What two whole, positive numbers have a one-digit answer when multiplied and a two-digit answer when added?
Answer: 1 and 9.
Riddle:
You want to boil a two-minute egg. If you only have a three-minute timer (hourglass), a four-minute timer, and a five-minute timer, how can you boil the egg for only two minutes?
Answer: Once the water is boiling, turn the three-minute timer and five-minute timer over. When the three-minute timer runs out, put the egg in the boiling water. When the five-minute timer runs out, two minutes have elapsed and it is time to take the egg out of the water. You don't need the four-minute timer for this riddle.
