World’s Hardest Riddles
The world’s hardest riddles are here.
When it comes to riddles, the world can be a pretty tough place. With the right kind of mental agility and a little bit of luck, you might be able to solve some of the most difficult riddles ever devised.
So get a pen and a piece of paper, and be ready as we dive into some of the world’s hardest riddles we could find!
Incredibly Difficult Riddles
1.) I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Then I turned east and hiked for 3 miles. I then turned north and hiked for 3 miles when I saw a bear inside my tent eating my food! What color was the bear?
White.
The North Pole is the only location on Earth where a hike that begins 3 miles to the south, continues 3 miles to the east, and then continues 3 miles to the north may bring you back to where you started. The North Pole is home to only one kind of bear, and these bears are white: The polar bears.
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2.) Who can shave 25 times a day but still have a beard?
A barber
This silly riddle might be difficult, depending on whom we tell it to. When we think of one individual shaving 25 times, we do not immediately think of it as a career or someone who shaves people’s hair as part of their job. As a result, it’s common to get the wrong responses or have none at all.
3.) First, think of the color of the clouds. Next, think of the color of snow. Now, think of the color of a bright full moon. Now answer quickly: what do cows drink?
Water.
Hasty responses, especially when prompted to “respond quickly,” are likely to be incorrect when presented with this question. The first part of the trick question asks for the colors of things, usually white; the respondent, knowing the association between cows and milk, chooses milk as the correct answer rather than water.
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Challenging Puzzles
4.) Where can you find a hammer and an anvil that are too small for human hands to use?
In the human ear.
This riddle requires more advanced knowledge regarding human anatomy and physiology. It would be best to ask this question starting with teens already familiar with Biology.
5.) A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But five minutes later, they enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
The woman is a photographer.
The use of words with double meanings makes this riddle hard to answer. What happened was that she took a picture of her husband with her film camera and developed it in the darkroom afterward. A darkroom is a place where photos need to be subdued in a chemical in fluid form, then hung to let them dry.
6.) What is 3/7 chicken, 2/3 cat, and 2/4 goat?
Chicago.
This puzzle isn’t about the animals themselves but rather about the names of those species. Three out of seven in chicken refer to the first three letters of the word “chicken,” whereas two out of three in cat refer to the letters “C” and “A,” and two-fourths of “goat” refers to the letters “G” and “O.” When added up and laid out, it spells Chicago.
Check out these Tricky Riddles.
Hard Brainteasers
7.) What can you hold in your right hand but never in your left?
Your left hand.
This trick question can fool even the sharpest minds. However, the answer is included inside the question itself when carefully considered.
8.) How far can a fox run into the woods?
Halfway.
If a fox walks halfway through a forest away from your starting position, the next half of the fox’s trip is to get them out of the woods.
9.) I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me, yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always at risk, yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun, but I am never out of the darkness.
The letter “S.”
This is an example of a riddle with literal answers. The trick question’s choice of words is deceptive; despite all the flowery language, the question focuses on its spelling.
10.) What has a head but cannot think a mouth but cannot talk, and eyes but cannot see?
A potato.
The potato has eyes, a mouth, and a heads technically the stem). But unlike humans, potatoes cannot think or talk because they are plants. So they have these three things but don’t use them the same as people do.
See our best math riddles.
Super Tough Riddles
11.) I stick so strongly, yet I am not sticky in the slightest. What am I?
A magnet.
The adjective “sticky” is usually associated with slime or adhesives, so it’s easy to overlook the possibility that a magnet could also “stick.”
12.) Jose told his friends about his recent stay at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He told them he won a thousand dollars shortly before returning to his room on the thirteenth floor. His friend Peter immediately knew that Sam was lying about going to Vegas and staying at the Tropicana. Who was lying?
Joseph.
Guests at the Tropicana Casino and Hotel will not find a 13th floor, as some superstitious people believe that such a number brings bad luck. Being said that, Joseph was the one lying.
13.) Take away the whole, and some remain. What is it?
Wholesome.
You may regret your attempts to find the right answer to this silly riddle. The question was meant to be taken in a literal sense, and if you remove the word “whole” from the word “wholesome,” you are left with the word “some.”
Willy’s World Puzzle — the world’s hardest riddles
14.) You are in a place called Willy’s World, and there is only one law. There is a mirror but no reflection. There is pizza with cheese, but not a sausage. And there is pepper but no salt. There is a door, yet no entrance or exit. What is the law?
Each word in Willy’s World must contain double letters.
At first thought, you will think of objects that match the description. If you were in a game, starting on that thought will lead you to run out of time or say the wrong answer. In these types of brain teaser riddles, it is key tlookut for answers that can be found through literal thinking before moving forward to critical thinking.
Baffling Brain Twisters
15.) Without a bridle or a saddle, across a thing, I ride a-straddle. And those I ride, by the help of me, though almost blind, are made to see. What am I?
Eyeglasses
For this riddle, they used words that had more than one meaning. Here, it can be thought of as a tool used with horse riding as it has the activity that often uses a saddle. Coincidentally, eyeglasses also have these parts. The clue to arrive at the answer is the last part which says, “though almost blind, are made to see.”
16.) I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?
An echo.
Your best bet in solving this riddle is to convince yourself that it has anything to do with your ears and mouth. A little wind-related clue is provided to encourage you to think critically rather than literally.
17.) What is next in this sequence of numbers: 1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, 312211, ______?
13112221.
For each sequence of digits, there is an equivalent verbal expression. The next sequence would therefore be “one one,” or 11. Next up is “two one,” or “21,” and so on.
18.) You walk into a dark room. In the room, there is only an oil lantern, a Candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
None.
This riddle has another version with the dark room having a match, and that would be what to be lighted first. However, their question doesn’t have any, so you cannot light any of it.
See some good riddles.
Bewildering Riddles — the world’s hardest riddles
19.) An Arab king is old and must leave his fortune to one of his two sons. He makes a proposition: Both sons will ride their camels in a race, and whichever camel crosses the finish line LAST will win the fortune for its owner.
During the race, the two brothers wander aimlessly for days, neither willing to cross the finish line. In desperation, they ask a wise man for advice. He tells them something; then, the brothers leap onto the camels and charge toward the finish line. What did they do?
They switched camels.
According to the game’s rules, the owner of the camel that finishes last will take home the prize money. The king just suggested they trade camels.
20.) You can see me in water, but I never get wet. What am I?
A reflection.
This is another example of why we should not be fooled by first impressions. A common trail of thought is to think about everything that belongs in the water or can be thrown in it. However, when answered correctly, this can reveal how much a person can think outside the box, as a reflection can be seen in the water but never gets wet.
Stumpers — World’s Hardest Riddles
21.) I am something people love or hate. I change people’s appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of themself, I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me, but I will show. No matter how hard people try, I will never go down. What am I?
Age.
Even though “Age” is defined in each of the sentences that make up this difficult riddle, the flowery language may throw you for a loop and leave you more confused than when you started.
22.) What has no beginning, middle, or end?
A doughnut. This answer might sound strange at first. The absence of a beginning and an end is a clue that the thing we’re seeking is circular in shape. And as described, a doughnut does not have a middle since it is hollow and has a hole in the center of it.
23.) The man who invented it doesn’t want it for himself. The man who buys it doesn’t buy it for himself. And, the man who needs it doesn’t know he needs it. What is it?
A coffin.
The inventor has no death wish. The man who buys it must be alive and has no need for it. The man who needs it is no longer with us.
Hardest Riddles FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about the world’s hardest riddles.
Ready? Here goes: “I turn polar bears white, and I will make you cry. I make guys have to pee, and girls comb their hair. And I make celebrities look stupid and normal people look like celebrities. I turn your pancakes brown, and I make your champagne bubble. If you squeeze me, I’ll pop. If you look at me, you’ll pop. Can you guess the riddle?”
The correct answer: No — the riddle is unsolvable, but your mission was to answer the last question the riddle poses correctly. (No one said this was going to be easy.)
Yes. Various riddles work different parts of the brain, improving your logic and reasoning. Riddles help fine-tune your critical thinking skills.
“Thirty white horses on a red hill, / First they champ, / Then they stamp, / Then they stand still.”
The correct answer: Teeth.
We hope you enjoyed the 23 world’s hardest riddles. How many did you solve correctly?
By Mike O’Halloran
Mike is the founder and editor of Greeting Card Poet. He has co-written four kid trivia books.
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