There’s something timeless and irresistible about riddles. Whether they make us chuckle, groan, or sit back in awe, riddles fuel our curiosity and play with the way we think. One that’s been making the rounds lately is the classic “I bought a cow for $900 riddle.” It sounds like a simple math problem at first—but the real challenge lies in the trick hidden within the wording.
In this blog post, we’ll unpack the answer to that riddle—and walk through 32 other mind-stretching puzzles that blend humor, logic, and creativity.
Let’s have some fun solving them together.
All Riddle
1. Riddle:
I bought a cow for $900. I sold it for $1000. Then I bought it back for $1100 and sold it again for $1200. What’s my total profit?
- Answer: $200
- Explanation: First sale = $1000 – $900 = $100 profit. Second sale = $1200 – $1100 = $100 profit. Total profit = $100 + $100 = $200.
2. Riddle:
A man buys a goat for $300. He sells it for $400. Then he buys it back for $500 and sells it again for $600. How much profit did he make?
- Answer: $200
- Explanation: First profit = $100. Second profit = $100. Together: $200 total profit.
3. Riddle:
The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
- Answer: Hole
- Explanation: Removing material from a hole increases its size—a play on physical logic.
4. Riddle:
What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
- Answer: Clock
- Explanation: The clock’s face and hands help tell time, not do physical tasks.
5. Riddle:
What gets wetter as it dries?
- Answer: Towel
- Explanation: A towel absorbs water, so it gets wet while drying you.
6. Riddle:
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
- Answer: The letter “M”
- Explanation: It’s all about letters—not time. A clever twist in wording.
7. Riddle:
I have keys but no locks, space but no room, and you can enter but can’t go outside. What am I?
- Answer: Keyboard
- Explanation: It’s filled with symbols and commands, but no physical places.
8. Riddle:
What can travel the world while staying in the same spot?
- Answer: Stamp
- Explanation: A stamp stays on an envelope, which can go anywhere globally.
9. Riddle:
What comes down but never goes up?
- Answer: Rain
- Explanation: Rain falls from the sky and doesn’t go back up in the same form.
10. Riddle:
What belongs to you, but others use it more than you?
- Answer: Your name
- Explanation: Other people say your name more than you do.
11. Riddle:
What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
- Answer: Future
- Explanation: It hasn’t happened yet, so it can’t be seen.
12. Riddle:
What can be broken but is never held?
- Answer: Promise
- Explanation: It’s an abstract concept that carries real emotional weight.
13. Riddle:
I am tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
- Answer: Candle
- Explanation: It burns down over time, making it shorter as it ages.
14. Riddle:
What has one eye but can’t see?
- Answer: Needle
- Explanation: The eye refers to the hole at the top, not a visual organ.
15. Riddle:
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
- Answer: Light
- Explanation: It’s not a physical object, but it spreads everywhere.
16. Riddle:
What goes up but never comes down?
- Answer: Age
- Explanation: Once time passes, you only grow older—never younger.
17. Riddle:
What can you catch but not throw?
- Answer: Cold
- Explanation: You “catch” a cold, but it’s not something you can toss.
18. Riddle:
What has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?
- Answer: Human
- Explanation: As a baby (crawl), adult (walk), and elder (with cane).
19. Riddle:
What has a neck but no head?
- Answer: Bottle
- Explanation: The “neck” of a bottle is the narrow top part.
20. Riddle:
I’m not alive, but I grow. I don’t have lungs, but I need air. I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?
- Answer: Fire
- Explanation: A poetic way to describe the nature of fire.
21. Riddle:
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
- Answer: Ton
- Explanation: “Ton” is heavy. Backward, it spells “not.”
22. Riddle:
What word is always spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
- Answer: Incorrectly
- Explanation: It’s a wordplay riddle. The word “incorrectly” is spelled as such.
23. Riddle:
What’s full of holes but still holds water?
- Answer: Sponge
- Explanation: The porous structure allows it to absorb liquid.
24. Riddle:
What kind of room has no windows or doors?
- Answer: Mushroom
- Explanation: It ends with “room,” but it’s a fungus, not a room.
25. Riddle:
What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
- Answer: Map
- Explanation: A map represents all these things symbolically.
26. Riddle:
What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
- Answer: Penny
- Explanation: A coin has a head (face) and a tail, but no limbs.
27. Riddle:
What’s always running but never walks?
- Answer: Water
- Explanation: It flows continuously, but never takes steps.
28. Riddle:
What starts with E, ends with E, and has only one letter in it?
- Answer: Envelope
- Explanation: It begins and ends with “E” and contains a letter inside.
29. Riddle:
What gets sharper the more you use it?
- Answer: Brain
- Explanation: Mental use strengthens cognitive sharpness.
30. Riddle:
If you drop me, I’m sure to crack. But if you smile at me, I’ll smile right back. What am I?
- Answer: Mirror
- Explanation: It reflects your expression, but is fragile if dropped.
31. Riddle:
What disappears as soon as you say its name?
- Answer: Silence
- Explanation: Speaking breaks the silence instantly.
32. Riddle:
What has a spine but no bones?
- Answer: Book
- Explanation: The “spine” is part of the book’s structure, not a skeleton.
33. Riddle:
What begins with T, ends with T, and is full of T?
- Answer: Teapot
- Explanation: It starts and ends with “T” and holds tea.
Conclusion
The riddle “I bought a cow for $900 riddle answer” proves that even simple numbers and everyday events can hide clever surprises. That’s the magic of riddles—they blend logic, humor, and mystery into a few short lines. Whether you guessed the answers quickly or got stumped, each one challenges the way we see things.
Got a riddle you love or one that stumped you the first time? Share it in the comments below. And don’t forget to pass this list on to someone who loves a good brain teaser!