Here are 12 brainteasers to challenge you. Some answers require common sense, some take analytical reasoning, and some need a step back to see the whole picture. The answer key is listed at the bottom of the post. To ace this challenge, take your time thinking through each question before checking your solution. Some answers aren’t complicated; you just need to see the question clearly. How many riddles will you get correct?
Solve 6 Out of 10 Riddles Correctly to Ace This Challenge
Riddle #1 After a Murder
You enter a bedroom. There are 40 people. You kill 34. How many people are in the bedroom?
Riddle #2 Teresa’s Mystery Relative
If Teresa’s daughter is my daughter’s mother, what am I to Teresa? [1]
Riddle #3 Falling Off a Ladder
A man fell off a 20-foot ladder. He wasn’t hurt. How?
Riddle #4 Pink House
There’s a one-story house where everything is pink. The walls are pink. The doors are pink. All the furniture is pink. What color are the stairs?
Riddle #5 What is the Word?
What four-letter word can be written forward, backward, or upside down, and can still be read from left to right?
Riddle #6 What is that Invention?
What invention lets you look right through a wall?
Riddle #7 Who is Lying?
Three convicts all claim Matthew is their brother. Matthew claims he has no brothers. Who is lying? [2]
Riddle #8 Ace these Summer Camp Challenges
Sam, Alex, Riley, and Josh all go to the same summer camp that offers the following activities: cook, kayak, rock climb, and zip-line. Each child is excited about a different activity.
- Sam’s favorite activity isn’t rock climbing.
- Alex is afraid of heights.
- Riley can’t do her favorite activity without a harness.
- Josh likes to keep his feet on the ground at all times.
Can you figure out who likes what activity?
Riddle #9 Five Allergies
Five friends (Song, Vince, Felicia, Lashanda, and Zach) are all allergic to something different: pollen, shellfish, bee stings, cats, or peanuts.
- Song has a food allergy
- Vince can play with his kitten for hours without issue (or medicine).
- Felicia’s allergy is not related to animals.
- Lashanda has seasonal allergies.
Can you figure out who is allergic to what?
Riddle #10 No Need, No Use
The person who makes it has no need for it. The person who buys it has no use for it. And the person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
Riddle #11 The Growing Tree
When Johnny was six years of age, he hammered a nail into his favorite maple tree to mark his height. Ten years later, he turned sixteen. So Johnny returned to the tree to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by five centimeters each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Riddle #12 Ace This Brick Challenge
If a red house is made of red bricks, and a yellow house is made of yellow bricks, what is a greenhouse made of? [3]
The Answer Key:
- There are 41 people in the bedroom. Six people, including you, are alive, and 34 people are dead.
- You are Teresa’s daughter. (As in, “my daughter’s mother is you” so “Teresa’s daughter is you.”)
- He fell from the bottom step.
- No color. There aren’t any stairs because it’s a one-storey house.
- The word “NOON”
- The ingenious invention of the window
- No one is lying. The three convicts are Matthew’s sisters.
- Sam likes to zip-line, Alex likes to kayak, Riley likes to rock climb, and Josh likes to cook.
- Song is allergic to shellfish. Vince is allergic to bee stings. Felicia is allergic to peanuts. Lashanda is allergic to pollen. And Zach is allergic to cats.
- A coffin
- The nail would be at the same height as when he was six years old. Trees grow from their tops.
- All greenhouses are built from glass.
How did you do? Test these riddles on family and friends to see if they could ace the challenge.
Looking for some more fun? Check these out:
- 9 Riddles That Can Boost Your Thinking Skills
- These 2 Logic Tests Will Boost Your Critical Thinking
- Do You Know What This Is? Only One In 10,000 People Do!
Sources
- “A simple riddle has the internet seriously scratching its head — see if you can figure it out.” Insider. Sam Benson. February 21, 2018
- “48 Short Riddles That Will Still Stump You.” Readers’ Digest. Meghan Jones.August 19, 2021
- “50 Tricky Riddles That Will Keep Even the Smartest Kids Guessing.” Fatherly. Anna Tingley. January 29, 2021
