The holiday season is full of excitement and wonder—why not add some mystery too? Riddles are a fun way to make your advent calendar even more special.
Whether you’re making your own or updating one you already have, riddles are great for all ages and bring a playful twist to each day.
In this post, you’ll find 33 fun and clever riddles, each with an answer and a quick explanation to keep everyone thinking, smiling, and enjoying the countdown to Christmas!
All Riddles
1. Riddle: What has keys but can’t open locks?
Answer: A piano.
Explanation: The “keys” here refer to the keys of a piano, not keys for opening locks. It’s a fun play on the dual meaning of “keys.”
2. Riddle: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
Explanation: The letter M appears once in “minute,” twice in “moment,” but not at all in “a thousand years.”
3. Riddle: What has a face but can’t smile?
Answer: A clock.
Explanation: A clock has a face (the dial), but, of course, it can’t smile. It’s a simple riddle with a clever twist on the word “face.”
4. Riddle: I have a neck but no head. What am I?
Answer: A bottle.
Explanation: A bottle has a “neck,” but no head, making it a great example of a riddle that plays with common object features.
5. Riddle: The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Answer: Footsteps.
Explanation: Footsteps are left behind as you take steps, creating a simple yet intriguing puzzle.
6. Riddle: What can travel around the world while staying in the corner?
Answer: A stamp.
Explanation: A stamp stays in the corner of an envelope, but it can be sent around the world. A clever take on geography and stationary!
7. Riddle: What has one head, one foot, and four legs?
Answer: A bed.
Explanation: A bed has a headboard (head), a footboard (foot), and four legs to stand on. It’s a fun riddle based on household objects.
8. Riddle: What is full of holes but still holds a lot of weight?
Answer: A net.
Explanation: Despite being full of holes, a net can hold a lot of things, especially heavy objects like fish.
9. Riddle: What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?
Answer: Silence.
Explanation: Silence is broken as soon as you speak, making it a clever play on the concept of something being “broken.”
10. Riddle: What has a bed but never sleeps?
Answer: A river.
Explanation: A river has a “riverbed,” but it never sleeps. This riddle plays on the dual meaning of the word “bed.”
11. Riddle: What gets wetter as it dries?
Answer: A towel.
Explanation: A towel dries your body while getting wetter as it absorbs the moisture.
12. Riddle: What can you catch but never throw?
Answer: A cold.
Explanation: A cold is something you can catch (as in get sick), but it’s not something you can physically throw.
13. Riddle: What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand?
Answer: Your right hand.
Explanation: It’s a playful riddle that tricks you into thinking there’s something unusual, but the answer is simply that you can’t hold your right hand with your right hand!
14. Riddle: What runs but never walks, has a bed but never sleeps?
Answer: A river.
Explanation: Like in an earlier riddle, this plays on the “riverbed” and the idea of a river flowing without stopping.
15. Riddle: What has many keys but can’t open a single door?
Answer: A computer keyboard.
Explanation: A computer keyboard has keys, but they can’t open doors, creating a fun wordplay.
16. Riddle: What has a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
Explanation: A coin has a “tail” (as in the tails side), but no body, making it a simple yet clever riddle.
17. Riddle: I am tall when I’m young, and I am short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle.
Explanation: A candle is tall when it’s first lit, and it becomes shorter as it burns down.
18. Riddle: What has legs but doesn’t walk?
Answer: A table.
Explanation: A table has “legs,” but it certainly doesn’t walk. It’s an easy-to-guess riddle with a playful twist.
19. Riddle: What comes down but never goes up?
Answer: Rain.
Explanation: Rain falls from the sky but doesn’t go back up, a straightforward riddle with a natural element.
20. Riddle: What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
Answer: The future.
Explanation: The future is ahead of you, yet it’s something you cannot see or predict directly.
21. Riddle: What has a bottom at the top?
Answer: A leg.
Explanation: The bottom of your leg (your foot) is at the top of your body when you stand, creating an unexpected twist on a common body part.
22. Riddle: What is light as a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold it for much longer?
Answer: Breath.
Explanation: Breath is light, but even the strongest person can’t hold it forever, playing on the limits of physical endurance.
23. Riddle: What has an eye but can’t see?
Answer: A needle.
Explanation: A needle has an “eye” (the hole for the thread), but of course, it cannot see.
24. Riddle: What comes up but never goes down?
Answer: Your age.
Explanation: Age always increases as time goes on, a simple and relatable riddle.
25. Riddle: What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin.
Explanation: This classic riddle refers to the head and tail sides of a coin, and the absence of a body adds the trick.
26. Riddle: What can be cracked, made, told, and played?
Answer: A joke.
Explanation: A joke can be cracked, made, told, and played, making it a versatile and humorous riddle.
27. Riddle: What is not alive, but grows?
Answer: A shadow.
Explanation: A shadow “grows” in size depending on the light source but is not a living thing.
28. Riddle: What gets bigger the more you take away from it?
Answer: A hole.
Explanation: The more you take away from a hole (dig it), the larger it becomes.
29. Riddle: What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right?
Answer: Your right hand.
Explanation: A tricky riddle playing on the idea that you cannot hold your right hand with your right hand.
30. Riddle: What runs but never gets tired?
Answer: Water.
Explanation: Water continuously flows and never tires, making it a fitting riddle for nature lovers.
31. Riddle: What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer: Light.
Explanation: Light can fill a room without physically occupying space, making it an intriguing riddle.
32. Riddle: What is always coming, but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow.
Explanation: Tomorrow is always on the horizon but never truly “arrives,” making this a riddle about time.
33. Riddle: What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
Answer: An artichoke.
Explanation: An artichoke has a “heart” (the center part), but it doesn’t actually beat, adding a fun twist to a familiar phrase.
Conclusion
Riddles are a fantastic way to add excitement and mental stimulation to your advent calendar. These 33 riddles are perfect for challenging minds, sparking curiosity, and adding an extra element of surprise during the holiday season. We hope these puzzles have sparked some joy and laughter!
Do you have any favorite riddles or additional suggestions? Share them in the comments below, and don’t forget to spread the fun by sharing this post with others who love a good challenge!