via: Pexels / Diva Plavalaguna
In this post, we're breaking down interesting riddles for adults to test your brain.
Aside from knock-knock jokes and trivia, I've always loved a good brain teaser. Solving riddles and brain teasers is an awesome way to exercise the mind, sharpen your thinking process, and improve your creativity.
I've scoured the best riddles for adults to help train your brain. If you love a good mind game, these tricky riddles for adults will challenge your brain power.
Contents
10 Best Riddles For Adults to Challenge Your Mind
via: Pexels / fauxels
1. What runs but never walks? Murmurs but never talks. Has a bed but never sleeps. And has a mouth but never eats?
View Answer
Answer
A river
2. It has keys but no locks. It has space but no room. You can enter but can’t go inside. What is it?
View Answer
Answer
Keyboard
3. The person who makes it has no need for it; the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
View Answer
Answer
A coffin
4. What is the smallest number that increases by 12 when it is flipped and turned upside-down?
View Answer
Answer
86. When turned upside-down and flipped, it becomes 98.
5. Take one out and scratch my head; I am now black, but once was red. What am I?
View Answer
Answer
A match
6. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
View Answer
Answer
Silence
7. I have four wings but cannot fly. I never laugh and never cry. In the same spot, I’m always found toiling away with little sound. What am I?
View Answer
Answer
A windmill.
8. Pronounced as 1 letter, And written with 3, 2 letters there are, and 2 only in me. I’m double, I’m single, I’m black blue and gray, I’m read from both ends, and the same either way. What am I?
View Answer
Answer
Eye
9. What gets broken without being held?
View Answer
Answer
Promise
10. I have cities but no houses. I have forests but no trees. I have water but no fish.
View Answer
Answer
Map
Ultimate List Of Riddles Guaranteed to Baffle Adults
via: Unsplash / Samsung UK
Your brain is like a muscle - the harder you work it, the stronger it gets. In fact, according to psychiatrist Daniel Amen, your brain starts dying the moment you stop learning. I mean, who wants that?
What better way to make yourself smarter than by answering a clever riddle? Answer this ultimate list of riddles to level up your logic building skills!
Riddle Categories
5 Easy Puzzles That Will Get Your Friends Addicted to Mind Games
via: Pexels / Monstera
If you're not in the mood the solve difficult riddles, how about trying your luck with these funny riddles for adults? These easy riddles with answers are perfect for round-robin games.
11. What time is it when an elephant sits on the fence?
View Answer
Answer
Time to fix the fence.
More Information
That sounds about right. Although, your fence is probably no match for a 6,000 kg African bush elephant.
12. What can you catch but not throw?
View Answer
Answer
A cold
More Information
Technically, you can “throw” a cold. How on earth do you think the pandemic started?
via: Pexels / cottonbro studio
13. What has one eye but can't see?
View Answer
Answer
A needle
More Information
Here's a fun fact about needles: the earliest known needle was not made of metal but of bone and ivory. Many archaeologists believe that people used needles to sew together fur, hide, skin and bark for clothing as far back as 25,000 years ago. Metal needles were invented much later in human history.
14. What has a head and a tail but no body?
View Answer
Answer
A coin
More Information
Did you know that Lydians were the first to invent gold and silver coins? According to the ancient historian Herodotus, the world's oldest coin is a Lydian coin made of a gold and silver mixture called electrum.
via: Pexels / Joey Kyber
15. If you multiply this number by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What number is this?
View Answer
Answer
Zero
More Information
You probably will know the correct answer for this math riddle from your first-grade lessons, so this should be pretty easy to figure out.
via: Mantelligence
Share This Image On Your Site
5 Simple Ice Breakers That Will Jumpstart Your Brain
via: Unsplash / Christina @ wocintechchat.com
How about a round of simple riddles to kick-start your brain power? I mean, you have to walk before you run. These funny riddles for adults are super easy but nothing short of a tease.
16. What has many teeth but can't bite?
View Answer
Answer
Comb
More Information
Did you know that the earliest known comb is made of animal bones and was discovered in Syria? Cleopatra and Napoleon's wife, Josephine, all had the same comb.
17. What asks no questions but must be answered?
View Answer
Answer
Phone
More Information
Technically, you don't have to answer a phone call when you don't want to. Just let it go to voicemail. Alternatively, another correct answer would be a doorbell.
via: Unsplash / Hassan OUAJBIR
18. What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
View Answer
Answer
Lunch and dinner
More Information
The term breakfast was first coined during the 15th century as the opposite of dinner to describe a morning meal. It literally means “breaking the fasting period of the night just ended.”
19. What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?
View Answer
Answer
A coat of paint.
More Information
The invention of paint goes way back 30,000 years ago. Cave men would use crude paints to draw graphic representations of their lives that even today adorn the walls of their ancient rock dwellings.
via: Pexels / Blue Bird
20. What has many hearts but no other organs?
View Answer
Answer
A deck of cards
More Information
A pack of cards includes 13 ranks in each French suit: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. There are 13 hearts in a standard deck of cards.
5 Clever Brain Teasers That Will Make You Seem Like a Genius
via: Unsplash / Campaign Creators
Working on your logic and creativity is one way to strengthen your memory. If you're looking for riddles with answers for adults, the following clever riddles are designed to challenge your interpretation and analytical skills.
21. How do you spell "cow" in 13 letters?
View Answer
Answer
See o double you.
More Information
A tricky riddle that would really squeeze the juices out of your brain. I know, I know. It's pretty silly, but it made you think.
Did you know that cows are intelligent animals? They have the ability to form bonds and can even hold grudges against other cows who treat them badly.
22. The lone ranger rode into town on Friday. He stayed for five days and left that Friday. How could this be?
View Answer
Answer
The horse's name is Friday.
More Information
You would think this is some math riddle, but it's just about a horse strong enough to travel to town for five days straight.
Did you know that the phrase "fit as a horse" actually has a science-backed explanation? Horses have a slightly higher average body temperature than humans, making them resilient against common human diseases.
via: Pexels / Bozan Güzel
23. Forwards I'm heavy. Backwards I'm not. What am I?
View Answer
Answer
Ton
More Information
Another clever wordplay. Speaking of tons, did you know that the largest black hole ever discovered was named TON 618? It has a mass of 66 billion solar masses and is approximately 18.2 billion light-years from Earth.
24. What has a bottom at the top?
View Answer
Answer
Your legs
More Information
This is one of those funny adult riddles that would have you saying, "Oh, I get it!" but not without boggling the bejesus out of you. I mean, it doesn't really provide a lot of clues other than a confusing analogy.
via: Unsplash / Jakob Owens
25. Who has married many women but was never married?
View Answer
Answer
The priest
More Information
A not so clever riddle that you can basically figure out in under 5 minutes. Did you know that the Catholic church is the only religion that doesn't allow its clergy to marry?
5 Hard Puzzles For Your Friends That Are Real Head Scratchers
via: Pexels / Andy Barbour
Every single person in my friend group loves a difficult riddle.
Brain exercises such as playing chess, completing puzzles, and engaging in other fun activities that challenge the brain are proven to help prevent memory problems and boost brain function. Plus, if you're doing it with your friends, it's also a great way to ward off stress and depression.
Solving these hard riddles for adults is a fun way to stimulate the mind and, quite frankly, earn bragging rights.
26. What four-letter word can be written forward, backward, or upside down and can still be read from left to right?
View Answer
Answer
Noon
More Information
There are a lot of words in the English language, so good luck figuring that one out.
Here's a fun fact: the word noon comes from the Latin word "nona hora," which translates to "ninth hour." During medieval times, noon fell every 3 PM. The timing changed to 12 PM as noon became synonymous in English with midday.
27. A plane crashed between the border of France and Belgium. Where were the survivors buried?
View Answer
Answer
They weren't. Survivors don't need to be buried.
More Information
Difficult riddles are supposed to test your brain and encourage you to be more mindful. This brain teaser is a perfect example.
Speaking of survivors, this reminded me of the 1993 movie "Alive," which tells the survival story of a rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountain. One of the real-life survivors even worked on the film as an advisor!
via: Unsplash / Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa
28. Take one out and scratch my head. I am now black but once was red. What am I?
View Answer
Answer
A match
More Information
This is one of my favorite classic riddles as a child. It's a thinker, but it's actually pretty simple once you figure it out.
Here's a fun fact about matches: during the 1820s, match factory workers developed a condition called "phossy jaw" that often starts with a toothache and jaw pain and then death. Doctors eventually realized the problem was the kind of phosphorus used in the matches at the time.
29. What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat?
View Answer
Answer
Chicago!
More Information
It took me 5 minutes to answer this tricky riddle, but it could be longer for some people. You would think that the answer is some kind of an abomination, but it really is just wordplay.
via: Unsplash / Neal Kharawala
30. What are the next 2 letters in this riddle? O T T F F S S E
View Answer
Answer
N T. Each letter represents the first letter of each number one to eight.
More Information
This is the kind of challenging riddle that Sherlock Holmes would probably enjoy. Only a really cunning person can figure this out.
Downloadable and Printable List of Riddles for Adults
Here is a downloadable and printable jpg/pdf list of riddles for adults (right-clicked the image and select Save Image As...):
via: Mantelligence
3 Benefits of Playing Mind Games With Your Friends
via: Pexels / Moe Magners
Anyone who has yet to play a match of riddles would probably think it's a boring hobby, but the truth is, it's the opposite. It's fun! I like to think of it as some sort of brain gym. If you or a friend needs more convincing, here are some benefits of playing mind games with your friends.
1. It improves your social skills.
via: Pexels / Antony Trivet
These days the only interaction I get with my friends is online, which is why it is a breath of fresh air when I get to meet them to play puzzles or mind games.
One of the obvious benefits of engaging in brain games with your friends is the social stimulation it provides. Aside from providing an opportunity to stay connected with your friends, it also teaches you teamwork and how to build strong relationships. It also encourages you to use your social instinct by forcing you to “read the room” every time you play a match of charades or a one-word exercise.
2. It promotes critical thinking.
via: Pexels / Ron Lach
Games are purposely designed to challenge your critical thinking abilities. In fact, functional MRI brain scans have found that people who play video games for three or more hours per day showed higher brain activity in regions of the brain associated with attention and memory than those who never play.
Any game that encourages you to practice decision-making and critical thinking benefit your mental health. Games such as chess, 4-in-a-row, backgammon, 2048, and minesweeper encourage players to think strategically with every move to trick and beat their opponent.
3. It provides stress relief.
via: Pexels / PICHA
Playing games is fun, and when you're having fun, you trigger a release of dopamine in your body that helps you feel good and cope with the stresses of everyday life.
There are a lot of studies that prove that playing any type of game, whether it be video games or mind games, can help reduce stress and alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
How To Make Riddles More Exciting To Play (give it a twist!)
via: Pexels / Kampus Production
Level up your brain games and the fun by following these tips to make solving riddles more exciting.
1. Make a bet out of it.
via: Pexels / Luis Quintero
Solving riddles can be fun, but it can also get pretty boring when you're just sitting there, waiting to figure out the right answer. If you and your friends are up for it, how about making it more competitive with a bet?
It could be anything from the winner getting more chances to guess the riddle during the next round to the loser buying your gang a glass of beer the next time you catch up.
2. Time it.
via: Pexels / Castorly Stock
If you and your friends consider yourselves expert "riddlers," why not make your games exciting by timing them? This should be a race against each other, trying to beat each other's personal best time to solve a riddle.
Frequently Asked Questions
via: Pexels / Sora Shimazaki
I've answered more frequently asked questions to help you get a head start on the exciting world of mind games.
Can people of all ages enjoy puzzles?
Yes. Anyone can do it, no matter what your age is. However, it's worth remembering that there are different types of puzzles for a specific age group.
Can I use riddles as icebreakers for my party/events?
Absolutely! You can even make a game out of it. Anyone loves a good challenge, and anyone who's in the mood to party is also probably in the mood to solve a riddle. It's also a good way to ease any nervous tension and encourage a good laugh among your peers.
What is a fun way to deliver riddles?
If you're making your own riddle, which is 100% possible, by the way, I recommend taking your time to work it out until it makes you happy. I also suggest testing it on a few people. If they can answer it without breaking a sweat, then your riddle might be too easy. If that's the case, you can always go back to your clues to see how you might make it more challenging.
Should riddles always be challenging?
The goal of any riddle is to stimulate your mind and encourage your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, so yes. Riddles should always be challenging. However, you can always choose to pick one that best fits the mental capacity of your players.
More Great Riddles For Your Brain
When you're done having a go at solving brain teasers, how about calming your mind by learning some interesting trivia?
- This list of impossible riddles is nothing short of interesting.
- These fun riddles are perfect for boring afternoons or a round-robin game.
- How about a round of what am i riddles just because?
