woman scratching her head thinking. question marks can be seen in the background
Jade Small
Jade Small
November 26, 2021 ·  7 min read

15+ Tricky Riddles That Will Make Your Brain Sweat

Giving your brain a riddle to solve each day can benefit you in countless ways. So, if solving one a day is good for you, imagine how beneficial solving 15 can be! Today, thanks to Brightside, we have a collection of some great riddles to challenge yourself with. In fact, whether you get each riddle correct or not, just attempting them will give your brain an excellent workout. So, let’s give them a try!

Man and Woman Discussing riddle in Workplace
MART PRODUCTION – Pexels

Trying to get your brain to think differently, or to learn new things, keeps it healthy. The best way to think outside the box is by practicing solving riddles and logic puzzles. Just like the ones we have for you to try out today!

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s power to rewire itself and make new connections in response to learning and stimulation. It’s this ever-changing process in the brain tissue that keeps you sharp—preserving memories and storing knowledge as you age—while fending off neurodegeneration, a condition that can lead to diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. “Challenging your brain to learn something new—such as a foreign language or a musical instrument or even solving a riddle—has been shown, both in healthy individuals and patients dealing with mild cognitive impairment, to improve brain structures and neuroplasticity.”

CedarSinai

So, if you are ready to give today’s challenge a try, keep reading!

Riddle 1 – 5

1. 16, 06, 68, 88, ?, 98. So, what is the missing number?

riddle 1 missing number
Credit – Brightside

2. This ancient invention allows people to see through walls. So, what is it?

green background riddle
Credit – Brightside

3. I stay in the corner but travel around the world. So, what am I?

red background white letter riddle
Credit – Brightside

4. A woman was born in 1948 but only celebrated her 16th birthday recently. So, how can this be?

blue background riddle white and yellow
Credit – Brightside

5. Under pressure is the only way I work, and by myself is the only way I’m hurt. So, what am I?

purple background riddle
Credit – Brightside

How are you doing with this riddle challenge? Hopefully, you are writing your answers down so you can compare your results with the correct solutions at the end of the article. Remember, it doesn’t necessarily matter if you get them right or wrong. It’s attempting to solve the riddle that benefits you the most!

Riddles 6 – 10

6. I have a tongue, and though I can’t walk, I am known to get around. So, what am I?

blue riddle with yellow and white wording
Credit – Brightside

7. You can’t see me, but I can see through you. So, what am I?

green riddle with white words
Credit – Brightside

8. We are 2 brothers on opposite sides of the road. But, we never see each other. So, who are we?

red riddle white words yellow word
Credit – Brightside

9. I lose my head in the morning, but get it back at night. So, what am I?

blue background riddle
Credit – Brightside

10. I have a head and a tail, but no arms and legs. So, what am I?

purple background riddle words
Credit – Brightside

We are halfway through our collection of riddle challenges. So, if you need to take a break, now is the perfect time. Remember, the more you practice these types of brainteasers, the sharper you train your brain to be! Let’s continue, and good luck!

Riddle 11 – 15

11. How can a man go 10 days without sleep?

teal background
Credit – Brightside

12. If you throw a blue stone into the red sea, what will it become?

breen, red, white, white riddle
Credit – Brightside

13. What goes up and down but never moves?

red riddle white letters
Credit – Brightside

14. A basket contains 5 apples. So, do you know how to divide them among 5 kids so that each one has an apple, and one apple stays in the basket?

blue and white with yellow
Credit – Brightside

15. A is the father of B, but B is not the son of A. So, how can this be possible?

magenta
Credit – Brightside

We are almost all the way through our riddle collection! If you thought those previous ones were tricky, get ready to have your socks knocked off. The following 5 riddles are a bit more difficult to solve, but we know you’ll figure them out! So, are you ready? Let’s see how you do!

Final Riddles 16 – 20

16. 12 apples hanging high, 12 men passing by. Each took an apple, and left 11 hanging there. So, how can this be?

teal and white riddle
Credit – Brightside

17. The combined age of a father and his son is 66 years. The age of the father is the age of the son, but with the numbers reversed. So, how old are they?

green background white and yellow words
Credit – Brightside

18. You have 10 fingers on your hands. So, how many fingers are there on 10 hands?

red riddle with white and yellow wording
Credit – Brightside

19. On a bus there is: a 26-year-old pregnant lady. A 30-year-old policeman. A 52-year-old random woman. And the 65-year-old driver. So, who is the youngest on the bus?

blue background with white and yellow riddle
Credit – Brightside

20. Two people were playing chess, and they both won. So, how is this possible?

purple background with riddle
Credit – Brightside

Well, that’s all the riddles for today, unless you want to keep going! If you are ready to see how well you did, scroll down to reveal the solutions to each one. We hope you remembered to write everything down because you will need your notes to compare answers. Now, keep in mind that some of these are designed to be logic problems. So, that means the answers might not make sense at first. After all, the whole point of a logic riddle is to get you to think differently than you normally would. So, let’s see how you did!

Woman Sharing Her Presentation with her Colleagues
Canva Studio – Pexels

Solutions:

1. 16, 06, 68, 88, ?, 98. So, what is the missing number?
Answer: Because the missing number is 78. If you read the numbers upside down, they are 86, ?, 88, 89, 90, and 91.
2. This ancient invention allows people to see through walls. So, what is it?
Answer: A window.
3. I stay in the corner but travel around the world. So, what am I?
Answer: A stamp.
4. A woman was born in 1948 but only celebrated her 16th birthday recently. So, how can this be?
Answer: Because she was born on February 29th, a leap day.
5. Under pressure is the only way I work, and by myself is the only way I’m hurt. So, what am I?
Answer: A diamond.
6. I have a tongue, and though I can’t walk, I am known to get around. So, what am I?
Answer: A shoe.
7. You can’t see me, but I can see through you. So, what am I?
Answer: An X-Ray.
8. We are 2 brothers on opposite sides of the road. But, we never see each other. So, who are we?
Answer: Eyes.
9. I lose my head in the morning, but get it back at night. So, what am I?
Answer: A pillow.
10. I have a head and a tail, but no arms and legs. So, what am I?
Answer: A coin.

Solutions Continued:

11. How can a man go 10 days without sleep?
Answer: Because he sleeps at night.
12. If you throw a bluestone into the red sea, what will it become?
Answer: Wet.
13. What goes up and down but never moves?
Answer: The temperature.
14. A basket contains 5 apples. So, do you know how to divide them among 5 kids so that each one has an apple, and one apple stays in the basket?
Answer: Because 4 kids get one apple, and the 5th kid gets his apple in the basket.
15. A is the father of B, but B is not the son of A. So, how can this be possible?
Answer: Because B is the daughter.
16. 12 apples hanging high, 12 men passing by. Each took an apple and left 11 hanging there. So, how can this be?
Answer: Because “Each” was the name of one of the men.
17. The combined age of a father and his son is 66 years. The age of the father is the age of the son, but with the numbers reversed. So, how old are they?
Answer: Because math can have variables, there are 3 possible answers to this riddle. 1) The father is 60, and the son is 6. 2) The father is 51 and the son is 15. 3) The father is 42 and the son is 24.
18. You have 10 fingers on your hands. So, how many fingers are there on 10 hands?
Answer: Because you have 5 fingers on each hand, 5 x 10 = 50 fingers.
19. On a bus there is: a 26-year-old pregnant lady. A 30-year-old policeman. A 52-year-old random woman. And the 65-year-old driver. So, who is the youngest on the bus?
Answer: Because the woman was pregnant, the answer is the baby.
20. Two people were playing chess, and they both won. So, how is this possible?
Answer: Because they were playing 2 different games against 2 different people.

Extra Brainteasers to Try

If you want to give your brain some more challenges, we have just the thing for you to try! So, give these brainteasers a whirl when you have time, and see how much your brain benefits from them! Because, just by solving or even attempting them, you benefit!