30 Impossible Riddles For Kids Who Are Riddle Experts

Rachel Garner
Sep 13, 2024 By Rachel Garner
Originally Published on Sep 24, 2020
Fact-checked by Monisha Kochhar
Person finding a word in dictionary

Riddles are a fantastic way to get the mind really working.

What better way to keep the kids entertained than with a riddle - a tricky question or phrase with a double or hidden meaning to be solved by the power of the brain? Challenging brain teasers are a great way to get the whole family thinking outside of the box.

Not only are riddles so much fun and will have the whole family giggling, but they're also great to get everyone thinking creatively. If your kids love complex riddles, then you're in the right place.

We've rounded up a selection of clever riddles and answers to solve - so take your time and see how many of these hardest riddles for kids you can manage - a brain test that you won't forget.

The joy of solving a riddle is like no other, so start testing your kids and see how many of these impossible riddles they can solve!

Confusing Riddles To Test Your Brain

We've rounded up some of the best riddles ever to challenge your mind - have a read below and count how many you can get!

Riddles - Not Literally

There are two things that you can never eat for breakfast. What are they?

Answer: Lunch and Dinner.

You have to read between the lines as this riddle is not about the food. The answer is lunch and dinner as we have them at afternoon and night respectively.

What can you hold in your right hand but not in your left hand?

Answer: Your left elbow.

The riddle is not pointing towards any particular thing but a logical answer as its impossible to hold your left elbow with your left hand.

I'm always on the dinner table, but you never get to eat me. What am I?

Answer: Plates and cutlery!

The riddle might trick you to think about food items but you need to think out of the box because you definitely cannot eat cutlery when you are on a dinner table!

Riddles - Wordplay

A woman has five daughters. Each of her daughters has a brother. How many children does she have?

Answer: Six children. There are five daughters and one brother.

This riddle is not about math but grammar. A woman has five daughters and each of them has a brother, that means they all share the same brother. Therefore, five daughters plus one brother = six children in total.

Jack's dad has three sons. One is called John, one is called Josh. What is the name of the third son?

Answer: Jack.

This riddle is all about tricky wordplay. Read the riddle again and focus, You already see that there is answer in the question where it is mentioned about Jack's dad.

Riddles - Hidden Clues

I am always in front of you, but you will never see me. What am I?

Answer: The future!

Do not think materially but metaphorically. We can never see the future but its always ahead of us.

This belongs to you, but everyone else uses it much more often. What is it?

Answer: Your name.

Your name belongs to you but you do not us it more but the people around you do it often.

A man went on a walk outside in the rain, without a jacket, a hat, a hood, or an umbrella. Somehow, not a single hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?

Answer: He was bald!

Think out of the box, its logical that any person would get wet in the rain but the riddle is particularly talking about hair, so the man must have been bald!

Which question can you never ever answer yes to?

Answer: Are you asleep yet?

Keep it simple. How can someone answer if he/she is sleeping.

Riddles - The Weight Game

Which is heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?

Answer: Neither. They weigh the same amount.

There is physics at play. A ton of feathers and a ton of bricks have the same mass, but the feathers make a much bigger pile because they have a much lower density.

What is as big as an elephant, but does not weigh anything at all?

Answer: The elephant's shadow.

Logically, its only the elephant's shadow which can compete with an elephant.

Hard Riddles To Solve

If you love difficult riddles, you're in the right place. Up to the challenge?

There's a word that becomes shorter when you add two letters to it. What is it?

Answer: Short.

This riddle is simply about wordplay. If you remove 'er' from the word 'shorter', you get 'short'!

What has a neck, but no head?

Answer: A t-shirt!

This riddle allows you to think out of the box. A t-shirt is the only thing that has a neck but not a head.

Riddles - Keep It Simple

A man shaves every day, yet his beard always stays the same. How?

Answer: He's a barber shaving other people's beards.

Its technically only a barber who shaves everyday yet still has a beard.

There's a one-story house, and everything is yellow. The walls are yellow, the doors are yellow, the kitchen is yellow, the sofas are yellow, everything is yellow. What colour are the stairs?

Answer: There are no stairs. It's a one-story house.

Do not get confused. If it's a one-story house, how can you have stairs in it.

How did a woman go ten days in a row without sleeping?

Answer: Because she slept in the night, not in the day!

The riddle is talking about days so the answer is night.

I am as light as a feather, yet even the strongest person in the world can't hold me for more than a few minutes. What am I?

Answer: Breath.

Think of the things you can't hold except for materialistic stuff. The answer is breath as you cannot hold it for a longer time.

Riddles - One word, They Say

What is bright orange in colour, is green on top, and sounds like a parrot?

Answer: A carrot!

Based on the description, a carrot is orange in color with the top leaves in green color and rhymes with a parrot.

Where can you find cities, streets, shops, and houses, but no people?

Answer: On a map.

Think about a thing and not a place. A map is the only thing where you can find all the cities, street, shops and houses but no people.

What can easily be broken without ever being touched, dropped, or picked up?

Answer: A promise.

Do not assume its a thing. A promise is the answer as it can be broken but not by touching, dropping or picking up.

What flies without wings?

Answer: Time!

Its not a bird as every bird has wings then it should be a metaphor. So the logical answer is time.

Very Hard Riddles

Want to take on the hardest riddle ever? We've got plenty of super tricky riddles and the hardest brain teasers with answers down below - that you may even consider impossible. Spend some time on the really hard riddles below and count how many you can solve!

Riddles - Wise Wins

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.

A river runs that means flows, has mouth and head, and also a river bed.

Two fathers and two sons went on a fishing trip. Each of them caught a fish. There were three fish caught in total. How is this possible?

Answer: There were only three people. A grandfather, a father, and a son. This equals two fathers and two sons.

Think critically, two fathers means a father and his own father that is a 'grandfather'. Therefore, grandfather plus father plus son = three people.

They get me from a mine and shut me inside a wooden case. I am never released, and almost everybody uses me. What am I?

Answer: Pencil lead.

This riddle is an intellectual one. Lead comes from mine and it is shut inside a wooden case of the pencil.

I am not alive, but I can grow. I don’t have any lungs, but I need air to survive. I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?

Answer: Fire!

To simplify, think about what a water can kill. You will instantly get the answer that only fire can be extinguished by water.

What is really easy to get into, but very difficult to get out of?

Answer: Trouble.

A metaphorical riddle. You can get into trouble easily but coming out of it is difficult.

Riddle - Math Time

If 11 + 2 = 1, then what does 9 + 5 =?

Answer: 11 am + 2 hours = 1 pm. 9 pm + 5 hours = 2am.

This riddle is referring to time. So take the numbers as hours and calculate accordingly.

Riddles - Let The Letter

There is an English word that is pronounced the same even when you remove away four of the five letters. What is it?

Answer: Queue.

If you remove 'ueue' from the word 'queue' you still get 'Q' which sounds same.

This happens once in a minute, twice in a week, and once in a year. What is it?

Answer: The letter 'e'!

Think about a letter instead of an incident. Here the letter 'E' appears once in 'minute', twice in 'week' and once in 'year'.

You can find me in Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter - but not Venus, Pluto, or Neptune. What am I?

Answer: The letter R.

Think about a letter instead of a thing. Here the letter 'R' appears in Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter - but not Venus, Pluto, or Neptune.

Article image credit: Kostikova Natalia / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Rachel Garner

Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism

Rachel Garner picture

Rachel GarnerBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism

Growing up in Switzerland, Rachel developed a love for exploring new places and trying new foods. She has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of the Arts London. She currently resides in Northwest London and enjoys discovering trendy spots around the city. Rachel is also passionate about planning fun activities for her family, particularly her little cousins. When she has some downtime, she can be found indulging in hobbies such as attending concerts, baking, or visiting her family in Essex. Her love for travel takes her beyond the UK, where she meticulously plans and researches each adventure before setting off to explore new places across Europe and beyond.

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Fact-checked by Monisha Kochhar

Bachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)

Monisha Kochhar picture

Monisha KochharBachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)

A Modern Languages graduate from the University College London, Monisha with a passion for travel and exploring different cultures. She is fluent in French and Spanish and is currently learning Hindi. Monisha enjoys discovering new foods and is an avid sports fan, following soccer and Formula 1. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and watching TV shows.

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