Looking for a way to engage students with challenging yet entertaining brain teasers?
We’ve compiled an ultimate guide with 315 high school riddles that are guaranteed to spark curiosity, critical thinking, and laughter.
These riddles cover a range of topics and difficulty levels, ensuring there’s something for every student to enjoy. Dive in and see if you can solve them all!
Wordplay and Puns
Engage high school students with clever wordplay riddles. These riddles are all about twisting words and meanings, perfect for language lovers!
- What word is spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
Incorrectly. - I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
A candle. - What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter M. - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps. - I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
An echo. - What has keys but can’t open locks?
A piano. - What can you catch but not throw?
A cold. - What’s as light as a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold it for more than a few minutes?
His breath. - What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future. - What has one eye but can’t see?
A needle. - What runs around the whole yard without moving?
A fence. - What can travel around the world while staying in the same corner?
A stamp. - I’m not alive, but I can grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. What am I?
Fire. - What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock. - I’m full of holes but can still hold a lot of water. What am I?
A sponge. - What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
A chalkboard. - What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel. - What word is pronounced the same if you take away four of its five letters?
Queue. - What building has the most stories?
A library. - What belongs to you but is used by others more than yourself?
Your name. - What can you keep after giving to someone?
Your word. - I have branches but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I?
A bank. - What begins with an “e” but only contains one letter?
An envelope. - The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness. - I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
A keyboard. - What has four fingers and a thumb but isn’t alive?
A glove. - What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light. - What breaks yet never falls, and what falls yet never breaks?
Day and night. - What can you hold in your right hand, but never in your left hand?
Your left hand. - I’m light as a feather, yet the world’s strongest man can’t hold me for much longer than a few minutes. What am I?
Breath. - If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine. - What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
An artichoke. - What invention lets you look right through a wall?
A window. - What has 88 keys but can’t open a single door?
A piano. - What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole. - What has teeth but can’t bite?
A comb. - What has an eye but cannot see?
A needle. - I’m often running, yet I never get tired or hot. What am I?
A refrigerator. - What comes down but never goes up?
Rain. - What goes up and never comes down?
Your age. - What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
A map. - What can’t be used until it’s broken?
An egg. - What has a head, a tail, but no body?
A coin. - I’m lighter than what I’m made of. I float, but can’t swim. What am I?
An ice cube.
Math and Logic High School Riddles
These math riddles challenge high school students to think critically and test their problem-solving abilities with numbers and logic.
- If two’s company and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine. - What has 13 hearts, but no other organs?
A deck of cards. - If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you don’t have me. What am I?
A secret. - I am an odd number. Take away one letter, and I become even. What number am I?
Seven. - Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
Neither, they both weigh a pound. - How can the number four be half of five?
IV (the Roman numeral for four) is “half” of the word five. - There are three apples in a basket, and you take away two. How many apples do you have?
Two (because you took them). - What three positive numbers give the same answer when multiplied and added together?
1, 2, and 3. - You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again you don’t see a single person. Why?
All the people were married. - If you have three, you have three. If you have two, you have two. But if you have one, you have none. What am I?
Choices. - How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you without hitting anything?
Throw it straight up. - What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short. - A man is pushing his car along a road when he comes to a hotel. He shouts, “I’m bankrupt!” Why?
He’s playing Monopoly. - What two keys can’t open any doors?
A monkey and a donkey. - What number is odd when you take away one letter?
Seven (remove the “s”). - If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?
A secret. - How many months have 28 days?
All 12 months. - What goes up but never comes down?
Your age. - What begins and has no end, and is the ending of all that begins?
Death. - The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.
Nature and Science Riddles
Explore the mysteries of nature and the scientific world with these riddles that highlight both natural wonders and scientific principles.
- What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
A penny. - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footprints. - I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
A joke. - I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and rivers but no water. What am I?
A map. - What goes up when the rain comes down?
An umbrella. - What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge. - What can’t be seen but can be heard, and will not speak unless spoken to?
An echo. - What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
Silence. - I fly without wings. I cry without eyes. Whenever I go, darkness flies. What am I?
Clouds. - I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?
A map. - If I drink, I die. If I eat, I am fine. What am I?
A fire. - What can travel around the world while staying in the same corner?
A stamp. - What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
An artichoke. - What can you keep after giving it to someone?
Your word. - What has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?
A human (baby, adult, elderly with cane).
School-Themed Riddles
These riddles are perfect for classrooms, designed to playfully challenge students’ academic knowledge and wit.
- What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano. - What has one eye but can’t see?
A needle. - What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future. - I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
A candle. - What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
A teapot. - I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
A keyboard. - What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks?
A river. - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps. - 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. - What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock. - I’m full of holes but can still hold a lot of water. What am I?
A sponge. - What gets wetter as it dries?
A towel. - What comes down but never goes up?
Rain. - What word is spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
Incorrectly. - What is so delicate that even saying its name will break it?
Silence. - What can you catch but not throw?
A cold. - What is always running but never gets tired?
A refrigerator. - What has four fingers and a thumb, but isn’t alive?
A glove. - What goes up but never comes down?
Your age. - What building has the most stories?
A library. - What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you?
Your name. - What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
An artichoke. - What can travel around the world while staying in the same spot?
A stamp. - What has a neck but no head?
A bottle. - What has 13 hearts but no other organs?
A deck of cards. - What has to be broken before you can use it?
An egg. - What runs around the whole yard without moving?
A fence. - What starts with an “E” and only has one letter in it?
An envelope. - What has legs but doesn’t walk?
A table. - I’m lighter than air, but a hundred people can’t lift me. What am I?
A bubble. - What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole. - I have many teeth but can’t bite. What am I?
A comb. - What word is shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short. - What has a bottom at the top?
Your legs. - What begins and has no end, and is the ending of all that begins?
Death. - What gets broken without being held?
A promise. - What invention lets you look through walls?
Windows. - What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
A map. - What can be cracked, made, told, and played?
A joke. - The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness. - If I drink, I die. If I eat, I am fine. What am I?
Fire. - What has one head, one foot, and four legs?
A bed. - What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter “M”. - What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short. - What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
A chalkboard. - What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light. - What has teeth but cannot bite?
A comb. - What runs, but never walks? Has a mouth, but never talks?
A river. - What has four eyes but can’t see?
Mississippi. - What goes through cities and fields but never moves?
A road. - What comes once in a year, twice in a week, but never in a day?
The letter “E”. - What has many teeth but cannot bite?
A zipper. - What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand?
Your right hand. - What has roots that nobody sees and is taller than trees?
A mountain. - What has ears but can’t hear?
Corn. - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps. - What’s so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
Silence. - What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel. - I’m lighter than a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold me for more than a minute. What am I?
Breath. - What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
A clock. - What has wheels and flies, but it’s not an airplane?
A garbage truck. - What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise. - What has many holes but can still hold water?
A sponge. - What comes up but never goes down?
Your age. - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footprints. - What goes up when the rain comes down?
An umbrella. - What has keys but can’t open locks?
A piano. - What’s full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge. - What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future. - What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand?
Your right elbow. - What is at the end of a rainbow?
The letter “W”. - What starts with the letter “T”, is filled with “T” and ends with “T”?
A teapot. - What can run but never walks, has a bed but never sleeps?
A river. - What can be cracked, made, told, and played?
A joke. - What gets sharper the more you use it?
Your brain. - What begins with T and ends with T and has T in it?
A teapot. - What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
A glove. - What word contains 26 letters but only three syllables?
Alphabet. - What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future. - I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but can’t go outside. What am I?
A keyboard. - What has teeth but can’t bite?
A comb. - What has one eye but can’t see?
A needle. - What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short. - What has hands but cannot clap?
A clock. - What goes up but never comes down?
Your age. - What begins with “e” but only has one letter?
An envelope. - What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
A clock. - What has 88 keys but can’t open a single door?
A piano. - What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin. - What has branches but no leaves, trunk or fruit?
A bank. - What goes up and never comes down?
Your age. - What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole. - What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
A chalkboard.
Conclusion
In this ultimate guide of high school riddles, we hope you found plenty of challenges, entertainment, and moments of inspiration!
Use these riddles in class, during fun activities, or as icebreakers to get students thinking creatively.
How many were you able to solve? Share them with friends and see who can come up with the answers the quickest!