Some riddles are simple jokes. Others are clever word puzzles. And some — like “what happens when two fruit companies merged” — blend humor and wordplay into one quick moment of surprise.
These kinds of riddles keep your mind active, make you smile, and remind you that the best puzzles don’t have to be complicated.
Below, you’ll find the main riddle you’re looking for, followed by 33 total riddles, each with a clear answer and short explanation written in friendly, simple U.S. English.
1. Riddle:
What happens when two fruit companies merged?
- Answer: They formed a “pear”
- Explanation: It’s a pun on the word “pair.” When two companies merge, they form a pair — and since the riddle is about fruit, the word becomes “pear.”
2. Riddle:
What digs down but leaves no hole?
- Answer: Thought
- Explanation: Thinking deeply “digs” into ideas but creates no physical hole.
3. Riddle:
What gets wetter the more it dries?
- Answer: Towel
- Explanation: Towels become wetter as they absorb water from other things.
4. Riddle:
I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
- Answer: Candle
- Explanation: A candle burns down over time.
5. Riddle:
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
- Answer: Footsteps
- Explanation: Every step you take leaves a trail behind you.
6. Riddle:
What has many keys but can’t open doors?
- Answer: Piano
- Explanation: Its “keys” are musical, not functional.
7. Riddle:
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
- Answer: Light
- Explanation: Light spreads through a room without occupying physical space.
8. Riddle:
What has hands but can’t clap?
- Answer: Clock
- Explanation: Clock hands tell time but can’t move like real hands.
9. Riddle:
What has one eye but can’t see?
- Answer: Needle
- Explanation: The “eye” is the loop where thread goes.
10. Riddle:
What begins with “t,” ends with “t,” and has “t” inside?
- Answer: Teapot
- Explanation: The word begins and ends with “t,” and tea goes inside it.
11. Riddle:
What word becomes shorter when you add letters?
- Answer: Short
- Explanation: Adding “er” makes it “shorter.”
12. Riddle:
What belongs to you but is used more by others?
- Answer: Your name
- Explanation: Others say your name more often than you do.
13. Riddle:
What comes down but never goes up?
- Answer: Rain
- Explanation: Rain falls but never reverses direction.
14. Riddle:
What has a neck but no head?
- Answer: Bottle
- Explanation: Bottles have “necks” but nothing above them.
15. Riddle:
What gets broken without being touched?
- Answer: Promise
- Explanation: Promises are emotional, not physical.
16. Riddle:
What has ears but can’t hear?
- Answer: Corn
- Explanation: Corn cobs have “ears.”
17. Riddle:
If you drop me, I crack. If you smile at me, I smile back. What am I?
- Answer: Mirror
- Explanation: Mirrors reflect expressions and break easily.
18. Riddle:
What has teeth but doesn’t bite?
- Answer: Comb
- Explanation: Comb “teeth” are for grooming.
19. Riddle:
What has a heart that doesn’t beat?
- Answer: Artichoke
- Explanation: The “heart” is the vegetable’s inner part.
20. Riddle:
What gets bigger the more you take away?
- Answer: Hole
- Explanation: Removing material enlarges it.
21. Riddle:
What can travel around the world while staying in one corner?
- Answer: Stamp
- Explanation: A stamp stays on envelopes but travels globally.
22. Riddle:
What has a bed but never sleeps?
- Answer: River
- Explanation: A riverbed is part of its structure.
23. Riddle:
What flies without wings?
- Answer: Time
- Explanation: “Time flies” is a common expression.
24. Riddle:
What can you catch but not throw?
- Answer: Cold
- Explanation: You “catch” a cold when sick.
25. Riddle:
What kind of room has no walls?
- Answer: Mushroom
- Explanation: A wordplay on “room.”
26. Riddle:
What invention lets you see through a wall?
- Answer: Window
- Explanation: A window is literally in a wall.
27. Riddle:
What goes up but never comes down?
- Answer: Age
- Explanation: You only get older.
28. Riddle:
What gets used by everyone but belongs to one person?
- Answer: Name
- Explanation: A repeat-worthy logic twist.
29. Riddle:
What melts in the sun but isn’t made of ice?
- Answer: Snowman
- Explanation: Snow melts, and snowmen melt with it.
30. Riddle:
What never asks questions but gets answered all the time?
- Answer: Telephone
- Explanation: Phones “receive” answers.
31. Riddle:
What moves faster: heat or cold?
- Answer: Heat
- Explanation: Because you can “catch a cold,” but not heat — a joke twist.
32. Riddle:
What has roots but never grows?
- Answer: Mountain
- Explanation: Mountains are said to have “roots” at their base.
33. Riddle:
What do you call two bananas who tell jokes?
- Answer: A bunch of comedians
- Explanation: It’s a pun on “bunch” — a group of bananas and a group of people.
Final Thoughts on Fruitful Wordplay
The riddle “what happens when two fruit companies merged” shows how a simple pun can make you laugh and think at the same time.
Wordplay riddles like this keep things light, spark creativity, and make great conversation starters.