Brain teaser riddles are tons of fun for the whole family. Some of these are tricky enough to stump even the cleverest kid—and maybe you, too! Brain teaser riddles teach kids to think outside the box, look for context clues, and listen closely. So they are a great way to sharpen a wide range of thinking skills, and that will pay off big in school.
Bookmark this page for your next long car ride or boring wait in the doctor’s office. Brain teaser riddles are a fun and easy way to pass the time as your brain twists and turns to find the answers. And every kid loves getting a tough riddle right. It gives them a boost of confidence, especially if they get to explain it to you! So give these a try and let us know if you can think of more. Try to stump us in the comments.
Q: A doctor and a bus driver are both in love with the same woman, an attractive girl named Sarah. The bus driver had to go on a long bus trip that would last a week. Before he left, he gave Sarah seven apples. Why?
A: Because an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Q: A boy fell off a 20-foot ladder but did not get hurt. Why not?
A: He fell off the bottom step.
Q: What is special about these words: job, polish, herb?
A: They are pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized.
Q: There’s a question you can never answer yes to. Do you know what it is?
A: Are you asleep yet?
Q: Imagine you’re in a room that is filling with water. There are no windows or doors. How do you get out?
A: Stop imagining!
Q: How can 8 + 8 = 4?
A: When you think in terms of time. 8 a.m. + 8 hours = 4 o’clock.
Q: In my hand, I have two coins that are newly minted. Together, they total 30 cents. One isn’t a nickel. What are the coins?
A: A quarter and a nickel
Q: You’re escaping a labyrinth and there are three exits. Exit A leads to an inferno. Exit B leads to an assassin. Exit C leads to a lion that hasn’t eaten in three years. Which exit do you pick?
A: Exit C. If a lion hasn’t eaten in three years, it has definitely starved to death.
Q: What kind of running means walking?
A: Running out of gas
Q: The number 8,549,176,320 is a unique number. What is so special about it?
A: This is the only number that includes all the digits arranged in alphabetical order.
Q: What is unusual about the following words: revive, banana, grammar, voodoo, assess, potato, dresser, uneven?
A: Take the first letter of each word and place it at the end. It will spell the same word backward.
Q: What came first: the chicken or the egg?
A: The egg. Dinosaurs laid eggs long before there were chickens!
Q: In baseball, how many outs are there in an inning?
A: Six—each team has three.
Q: A cowboy rode to an inn on Wednesday. He stayed two nights and left on Wednesday. How could that be?
A: His horse was named Wednesday.
Q: Rick’s dad has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and ___?
A: Rick
Q: You’re a bus driver. At the first stop, 4 people get on. At the second stop, 8 people get on, at the third stop 2 people get off, and at the fourth stop, everyone got off. The question is: What color are the bus driver’s eyes?
A: Whatever color eyes you have!
Q: A girl is sitting in a house at night that has no lights on at all. There is no lamp, no candle, nothing. Yet she is reading. How?
A: The woman is blind, and she is reading Braille.
Q: You walk into a room with a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
A: The match.
Q: What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
A: Short
All right, it’s your turn! Share your favorite brain teasers in the comments below! If you love riddles, we have tons more, like this one: Why is the girl getting a suntan like a small bucket? Ask your kids and find the answer here.
