Hard
Riddles: Test Your Brain With These Tough Teasers
If you’re looking for riddles that will really make you think, you’ve
come to the right place. Hard riddles use misdirection and clever
wordplay to trick your brain. Don’t feel discouraged if you need to read
them a few times – these puzzles are meant to be challenging!
Tips for Tackling Hard
Riddles
Hard riddles often rely on double meanings or unexpected
interpretations. Here’s how to approach them:
- Look for puns or homonyms. Words with more than one
meaning are common in tricky puzzles. - Consider metaphorical answers. The description
might not be literal; think about what the clues hint at instead. - Break the riddle into parts. Analyse each clue
separately before fitting them together.
Ready? Take a deep breath and see if you can solve the following
brain‑twisters!
Challenging Riddles with
Answers
Riddle 1
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head
but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
Answer: A river. Rivers “run,” have a mouth and
head, and a riverbed.
Riddle 2
I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am
never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead (graphite). It comes from a
mine, is encased in wood, and you use it by sharpening but never
releasing it fully.
Riddle 3
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
Answer: The word “ton.” Spelled backward it becomes
“not.”
Riddle 4
What has many teeth but can’t bite?
Answer: A comb. It has teeth but doesn’t bite like
an animal.
Riddle 5
You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look
again you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?
Answer: All the people were married – there wasn’t a
“single” person among them!
Riddle 6
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a
thousand years?
Answer: The letter “m.” It appears in the words
“minute” and “moment” but not in “a thousand years.”
Riddle 7
The person who makes it has no need of 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?
Answer: A coffin. The maker doesn’t need it, the
buyer won’t use it, and the user is no longer alive to perceive it.
If these puzzles have you hooked, try our Riddle Me This collection for more tricky
brain teasers with answers, or relax with some Easy Riddles when your brain needs a
break.