Riddles are a wonderful way to add a splash of fun and mystery to any day. Small funny riddles, in particular, offer a quick dose of laughter while challenging your mind to think in clever and unexpected ways.
They spark curiosity, tease your brain, and often deliver punchlines that catch you off guard. Whether you’re looking to entertain friends, lighten the mood, or just enjoy some playful mental gymnastics, these 33 small funny riddles with answers are sure to bring a smile to your face and keep you thinking!
1. Riddle:
What has hands but can’t clap?
- Answer: Clock
- Explanation: The “hands” of a clock tell time, but they don’t have the ability to clap like human hands.
2. Riddle:
What has a head and a tail but no body?
- Answer: Coin
- Explanation: A coin has two sides commonly called “head” and “tail,” but it doesn’t have an actual body.
3. Riddle:
What can you catch but not throw?
- Answer: Cold
- Explanation: You can “catch” a cold as an illness, but it’s not something you can physically throw.
4. Riddle:
Why did the scarecrow win an award?
- Answer: Because he was outstanding in his field
- Explanation: This plays on the double meaning of “outstanding” – both excellent and literally standing out in a field.
5. Riddle:
What has to be broken before you can use it?
- Answer: Egg
- Explanation: You must break the shell to get to the inside and use the egg.
6. Riddle:
What goes up but never comes down?
- Answer: Age
- Explanation: Your age increases as time passes and never decreases.
7. Riddle:
What has one eye but can’t see?
- Answer: Needle
- Explanation: The “eye” is the hole where the thread passes, not an actual eye for seeing.
8. Riddle:
Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?
- Answer: Because then it would be a foot
- Explanation: This is a playful pun on the measurement “foot.”
9. Riddle:
What gets wetter the more it dries?
- Answer: Towel
- Explanation: A towel absorbs water as it dries you off, so it becomes wetter.
10. Riddle:
What has many teeth but can’t bite?
- Answer: Comb
- Explanation: A comb’s teeth are used for hair, not biting.
11. Riddle:
What kind of room has no doors or windows?
- Answer: Mushroom
- Explanation: A play on the word “room” hidden inside “mushroom.”
12. Riddle:
What can travel around the world while staying in one spot?
- Answer: Stamp
- Explanation: A stamp is fixed to an envelope but can travel worldwide.
13. Riddle:
What has keys but can’t open locks?
- Answer: Piano
- Explanation: Piano keys produce music, not open doors.
14. Riddle:
What starts with a P, ends with an E, and has thousands of letters?
- Answer: Post office
- Explanation: It’s a clever twist playing with the word “letters” meaning mail.
15. Riddle:
What has legs but doesn’t walk?
- Answer: Table
- Explanation: Tables have legs to support them but cannot move.
16. Riddle:
What comes down but never goes up?
- Answer: Rain
- Explanation: Rain falls from the sky but doesn’t go back up.
17. Riddle:
Why did the math book look sad?
- Answer: Because it had too many problems
- Explanation: This joke plays on “problems” meaning math exercises and emotional troubles.
18. Riddle:
What is full of holes but still holds water?
- Answer: Sponge
- Explanation: Despite being porous, a sponge absorbs and holds water.
19. Riddle:
What goes through cities and fields but never moves?
- Answer: Road
- Explanation: Roads connect places but themselves do not move.
20. Riddle:
What has a neck but no head?
- Answer: Bottle
- Explanation: The narrow part of a bottle is called the neck.
21. Riddle:
What is easy to lift but hard to throw?
- Answer: Feather
- Explanation: A feather is light but difficult to throw far due to air resistance.
22. Riddle:
What word is spelled incorrectly in every single dictionary?
- Answer: Incorrectly
- Explanation: The word “incorrectly” is literally spelled “incorrectly” in the dictionary.
23. Riddle:
Why don’t scientists trust atoms?
- Answer: Because they make up everything
- Explanation: A pun on “make up” meaning both to compose and to lie.
24. Riddle:
What has a thumb and four fingers but isn’t alive?
- Answer: Glove
- Explanation: Gloves fit hands but are objects, not living things.
25. Riddle:
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
- Answer: The letter M
- Explanation: This riddle plays with letter occurrences in words.
26. Riddle:
What do you call a fake noodle?
- Answer: An impasta
- Explanation: A pun combining “impostor” and “pasta.”
27. Riddle:
What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
- Answer: Palm
- Explanation: The word “palm” refers to both a tree and the inside of your hand.
28. Riddle:
What has no beginning, no end, and nothing in the middle?
- Answer: Doughnut
- Explanation: A doughnut’s shape is a continuous loop with a hole in the middle.
29. Riddle:
Why was the broom late?
- Answer: It swept in
- Explanation: A play on the phrase “swept in” meaning both cleaning and arriving.
30. Riddle:
What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
- Answer: Promise
- Explanation: Promises are intangible but can be “broken.”
31. Riddle:
What gets bigger the more you take away?
- Answer: Hole
- Explanation: Removing material makes a hole larger.
32. Riddle:
What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?
- Answer: Carrot
- Explanation: A pun based on sound similarity.
33. Riddle:
What has four wheels and flies?
- Answer: Garbage truck
- Explanation: The “flies” refers humorously to insects around the truck.
Conclusion
Small funny riddles with answers are a perfect way to brighten your day and exercise your brain at the same time. Each riddle plays with words or ideas in surprising ways that make you think—and laugh! Which one was your favorite? Or do you have a fun riddle to share? Leave your thoughts and riddles in the comments below and keep the fun going. Remember, sometimes the smallest riddles bring the biggest smiles!