50 Really Hard Riddles [For Adults & Kids] - IcebreakerIdeas (2024)

Eleanor Griffiths / November 03rd 2023 / No Comments

Riddles have been popular for centuries, and it’s easy to see why. Hard riddles are a fun way to challenge people of all ages to use their critical thinking skills and problem-solving ability to come up with solutions.

Riddles are a great opportunity to test logical reasoning, and whether you’re a teacher looking for a great classroom warm-up, or if you’re simply looking to challenge your friends and family, then we have some brain teasers that you’ll love.

We’ve arranged our riddles into different categories:

• Hard Riddles
• Toughest Riddles
• Math Riddles
• Easy Riddles

Perhaps you want challenging riddles that you can answer quickly, or you can choose from some of the hardest riddles out there to really challenge yourself! If you’re looking for some tricky riddles for adults and kids, read on for a list of hard riddles with answers.

Hard Riddles

Hard riddles are a great way to challenge yourself and your friends, allowing you to think outside of the box and use your creative thinking skills. We’ve listed an assortment of challenging riddles for adults and kids to enjoy, which you can use to leave your friends and family stumped!

1. I have a tail and a head, but no body. What am I?

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2. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and rivers but no water. What am I?

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3. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

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4. I speak without a mouth, hear without ears, and have no body. What am I?

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5. A bus driver goes the wrong way on a one-way street. He goes past the police but they don’t stop him. Why?

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6. How many letters are in the alphabet?

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7. The person who makes it, sells it. The person who buys it, never uses it. The person who uses it, never knows they’re using it. What is it?

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8. I can fly without wings, cry without eyes, but wherever I go, darkness follows me closely. What am I?

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9. I have keys but no locks, and space but no rooms. You can enter me, but you can never go out. What am I?

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10. I am a five letter word and people eat me. Take away the first letter and I am type of energy. Take away the first two letters and you need me to live. If you scramble the last three letters, you can drink me. What am I?

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11. 11. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?

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    See Also

    40 Really Hard Riddles (With Answers)95 Hard Riddles (With Answers) That'll Leave You Totally Stumped — Best LifeCan You Figure Out These 84 Hard Riddles?113 Hard Riddles With Answers (Tricky? You Betcha!)

12. Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?

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13. The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?

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14. You see me once in a year, twice in a month, but never in a week. What am I?

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15. What has an eye but cannot see?

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16. 16. What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand?

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17. What starts with an “e”, ends with an “e”, but contains only one letter?

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18. I am a word of seven letters. I become longer when my third letter is removed. What am I?

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19. A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?

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20. If an electric train is traveling south, which way is the smoke going?

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21. A mother gave birth to two girls on the same day, at the same time, in the same month and year, yet they are not twins. How can this be possible?

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22. There is a boat filled with people, but you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?

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23. A woman shoots her husband. Five minutes later, they enjoy a lovely dinner together. How can this be?

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24. How can you physically stand behind your father while he is standing behind you?

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25. I’m written with two letters, but only said with one. What am I?

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26. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?

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The Toughest Riddles to Test Critical Thinking Skills

The tough riddles that we’ve compiled in this list are enough to leave you confused for days, but the accomplishment of solving them will make it all worthwhile. All of our riddles are suitable for different age groups, but be warned – these riddles are not for beginners! If you want to really challenge yourself and use your problem solving skills, then these are the riddles for you.

1. What English word has three consecutive double letters?

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2. You must transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river. However, you can only take one item with you on the boat at a time. If the wolf is left alone with the goat, it will eat it, and if the goat is left alone with the cabbage, it will eat it. How can you safely transport all three across?

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3. The detective interviews the family members and gets the following alibis:
   The wife said she was reading a book.
   The butler said he was taking a shower.
   The maid said she was getting the mail.
   The gardener said they were planting seeds.
   The cook said they were making breakfast.
   Who is the murderer?

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4. You are in a pitch-dark room with a box of matches, a candle, and a stove. What do you light first?

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5. There are two doors, one leading to freedom and the other to certain death by a hungry lion. Both doors are guarded by two guards. One guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies. You don’t know which guard is which, and you can only ask one guard one question. What do you ask to find the door to freedom?

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6. Three different doctors said that Paul is their brother yet Paul claims he has no brothers. Who is lying?

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7. You have twelve identical-looking coins, but one of them is slightly lighter than the rest, which are all identical in weight. You have a balance scale for weighing. How can you determine which coin is lighter using the scale only three times?

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8. In the green glass door, you can take apples but not oranges, chairs but not tables, and mirrors but not glass. What is the rule for what can go through the green glass door?

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9. You are trapped in a prison cell with two switches outside the cell. One switch turns off the electric fence surrounding the prison, while the other does nothing. However, you don’t know which switch controls the fence. You can only approach the switches once. How can you determine which switch turns off the fence?

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10. Two fathers and two sons go fishing. They all catch one fish each, but when they return home, they only have three fish. How is this possible?

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11. I’m a word in the English language.
    My first two letters signify a male,
    My first three letters signify a female,
    My first four letters signify a great man,
    And my the entire word signifies a great woman.
    What am I?

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Math Riddles

Whether you’re a math teacher looking to test your students, or if you’re simply someone who loves solving a difficult question, then our selection of math riddles will be perfect for you.

1. I am an odd number. If you take away one letter from me, I become even. What number am I?

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2. I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?

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3. I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five less than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is one more than my ones digit. What number am I?

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4. What three positive numbers give the same answer when multiplied and added together?

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5. I am a number whose digits add up to 15. If you reverse my digits, I become a number five times bigger. What number am I?

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Easy Riddles

For kids, or simply adults who don’t want too much of a challenge, this selection of easy riddles will help get your brain warmed up for the day without leaving you stuck in confusion for too long!

1. I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?

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2. What belongs to you but is used more by others?

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3. Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?

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4. I am not alive, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?

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5. What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not alive?

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6. How do you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

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7. What can travel around the entire world but remains in one corner?

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8. Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?

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The process of solving riddles can be both frustrating and satisfying, leading to a sense of triumph and accomplishment once the answer is finally revealed. The journey of unraveling these puzzling enigmas can boost our cognitive abilities, strengthen memory retention, and even improve overall brain health.

Whether used as a recreational activity or an educational tool, hard riddles serve as a delightful exercise for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. So, embrace the enigma and challenge yourself with some mind-bending riddles – you never know how far outside the box you’ll be able to think!