A Rickety Bridge Riddle
Four people need to cross a rickety bridge at night. Unfortunately, they have only one torch and the bridge is too dangerous to cross without one. The bridge is only strong enough to support two people at a time. Not all people take the same time to cross the bridge. Times for each person: 1 min, 2 mins, 7 mins and 10 mins. What is the shortest time needed for all four of them to cross the bridge?
Hint:
17 mins.
The initial solution most people will think of is to use the fastest person as an usher to guide everyone across. How long would that take? 10 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 21 mins. Is that it? No. That would make this question too simple even as a warm up question.
Let's brainstorm a little further. To reduce the amount of time, we should find a way for 10 and 7 to go together. If they cross together, then we need one of them to come back to get the others. That would not be ideal. How do we get around that? Maybe we can have 1 waiting on the other side to bring the torch back. Ahaa, we are getting closer. The fastest way to get 1 across and be back is to use 2 to usher 1 across. So let's put all this together.
1 and 2 go cross
2 comes back
7 and 10 go across
1 comes back
1 and 2 go across (done)
Total time = 2 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 17 mins Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The initial solution most people will think of is to use the fastest person as an usher to guide everyone across. How long would that take? 10 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 21 mins. Is that it? No. That would make this question too simple even as a warm up question.
Let's brainstorm a little further. To reduce the amount of time, we should find a way for 10 and 7 to go together. If they cross together, then we need one of them to come back to get the others. That would not be ideal. How do we get around that? Maybe we can have 1 waiting on the other side to bring the torch back. Ahaa, we are getting closer. The fastest way to get 1 across and be back is to use 2 to usher 1 across. So let's put all this together.
1 and 2 go cross
2 comes back
7 and 10 go across
1 comes back
1 and 2 go across (done)
Total time = 2 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 17 mins Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Home For Royalty
I am a home for royalty.
There are many of me in England.
I am made of stone.
I am protected by a ring of water.
I'm found in many legends.
What could I be?
There are many of me in England.
I am made of stone.
I am protected by a ring of water.
I'm found in many legends.
What could I be?
Hint:
Ruins Town Riddle
This is a thing that is devoured by all things; flowers, trees, beasts, birds; bites steel, gnaws iron; grinds hard stone to meal; beats mountain down, ruins town and slays king. What is it?
Hint:
Pink House Riddle
A woman lives in a one story pink house. The door is pink, the rugs are pink, the walls are also pink. What color are the stairs?
Hint:
In A Dark Room Riddle
You are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove, and a gas lamp. If you have only one match, what do you light first?
Hint:
Hidden Gems Riddle
Find the names of 10 gems or precious stones hidden in the following story. Each one spans at least two words.
Sir Gade rode toward a castle atop a zebra at a steady gallop, a long way from home. He arrived at the gate and the keeper knelt in shame. Thy steed must be tired. Sir Gade replied, I am on direct orders from the King. Let me through. A cougar, nettled by the noise, emerged from a shrub. You must save me! cried the gate man. Sir Gade, eyes filled with rancor, alighted and gazed toward the sky. An item fell from his cloak as drove his sword into the cougars spine. Let me pass! cried Sir Gade. The gate keeper, stunned from his saga, tentatively opened the gate, then retrieved the fallen item.
Sir Gade rode toward a castle atop a zebra at a steady gallop, a long way from home. He arrived at the gate and the keeper knelt in shame. Thy steed must be tired. Sir Gade replied, I am on direct orders from the King. Let me through. A cougar, nettled by the noise, emerged from a shrub. You must save me! cried the gate man. Sir Gade, eyes filled with rancor, alighted and gazed toward the sky. An item fell from his cloak as drove his sword into the cougars spine. Let me pass! cried Sir Gade. The gate keeper, stunned from his saga, tentatively opened the gate, then retrieved the fallen item.
Hint:
1. topaz atop a zebra
2. opal gallop, a long
3. amethyst shame. Thy steed
4. diamond replied, I am on direct
5. garnet cougar, nettled
6. ruby shrub. You
7. coral rancor, alighted
8. kyanite sky. An item
9. spinel spine. Let
10. agate saga, tentatively Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
2. opal gallop, a long
3. amethyst shame. Thy steed
4. diamond replied, I am on direct
5. garnet cougar, nettled
6. ruby shrub. You
7. coral rancor, alighted
8. kyanite sky. An item
9. spinel spine. Let
10. agate saga, tentatively Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Related Strangers Riddle
A man gets off the bus looking for an address and approaches a couple walking in the same direction for directions. The woman says theyre going that way and take him. Along the way the man asks if theyre related. The woman grins and says, Were not strangers. This mans mother is my mothers mother-in-law. The man is confused but doesnt say anything. When he gets back home he tells his wife about the conversation and she cant figure it out either. They decide to ask their lawyer and he eventually works it out with pen and paper. How are the couple related?
Hint:
The couple is either a man and his daughter or an uncle and his niece. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Four Days Of School Riddle
A student has missed an excessive number of days at school and thus the principal called him to his office and requested for an explanation.
The student said, There just isnt enough time for school. I need 8 hours of sleep a day, which adds up to about 122 days a year. Weekends off is 104 days a year. Summer vacation is about 60 days. If I spend about an hour on each meal, thats 3 hours a day or 45 days a year. I need at least 2 hours of exercise and relaxation time each day to stay physically and mentally fit, adding another 30 days.
Add all of that up and you get about 361 days. That only leaves 4 days for school.
The principal is confused, but cant figure out why. What is wrong with the students argument?
The student said, There just isnt enough time for school. I need 8 hours of sleep a day, which adds up to about 122 days a year. Weekends off is 104 days a year. Summer vacation is about 60 days. If I spend about an hour on each meal, thats 3 hours a day or 45 days a year. I need at least 2 hours of exercise and relaxation time each day to stay physically and mentally fit, adding another 30 days.
Add all of that up and you get about 361 days. That only leaves 4 days for school.
The principal is confused, but cant figure out why. What is wrong with the students argument?
Hint:
The student is double counting a lot of the days. A lot of the time spent sleeping, eating, and relaxing occurs during weekends and the summer. Weekends also occur during the summer, so all of these hours are getting counted several times.
And, school is not an all day affair. So the 4 days actually represents more days of school. If school is 6 hours per day, those four days represents 16 days of school. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
And, school is not an all day affair. So the 4 days actually represents more days of school. If school is 6 hours per day, those four days represents 16 days of school. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Game Of Dodge Ball Riddle
You are playing a game of dodge ball with two other people, John and Tom. You're standing in a triangle and you all take turns throwing at one of the others of your choosing until there is only one person remaining. You have a 30 percent chance of hitting someone you aim at, John has a 50 percent chance, and Tom a 100 percent change (he never misses). If you hit somebody they are out and no longer get a turn.
If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning?
If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning?
Hint:
Miss the first time on purpose.
If you try to hit John and do. Then Tom goes next and he will hit you and you will lose for sure. If you aim at Tom and hit him then John will go for you. If you miss on your first turn John will go for Tom for sure because he is a stronger player. If he hits him then it's just you and John, but you are going first. If he misses him then Tom will hit John and it will be just you and Tom, but again in this case you are going first. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
If you try to hit John and do. Then Tom goes next and he will hit you and you will lose for sure. If you aim at Tom and hit him then John will go for you. If you miss on your first turn John will go for Tom for sure because he is a stronger player. If he hits him then it's just you and John, but you are going first. If he misses him then Tom will hit John and it will be just you and Tom, but again in this case you are going first. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Psychic Son Riddle
It's hard being a mother. I recently found out my son is psychic. He's got this habit of pointing at people's faces sometimes. My husband and I realized that whenever our son points at somebody like that, it means they're going to die within three days. Last year, he pointed at his grandfather. Three days later, his grandfather died of a heart attack. A few months ago he pointed to a picture of an actress in a magazine. Three days later, she was killed in a car accident. Today. When I went to turn on the TV, my son was pointing at the screen. When I turned it on the president was giving a speech. I can't believe the president is going to die, but my son is never wrong.
Why was the real reason her son was pointing at the television?
Why was the real reason her son was pointing at the television?
Hint:
Her son was pointing at her reflection on the TV screen. The mother is going to die in three days.
Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Robbery On The Third Floor Riddle
My wife and I took a much-needed holiday in England. It's a long flight from New York to London. We checked into a nice hotel. After a long day of sightseeing we just collapsed into bed. Just a few minutes ago, we were woken up by some noises outside. I looked out the window and the police were everywhere. They yelled up to me that there was a robbery and a murderer on the second floor. I'm on the third floor, and I can see and I can see that the cops have the stairs and elevators locked down. The murderer can't get up to our floor, so we're in no danger. My wife and I are tired, so we're going back to bed. I really hope they catch the guy.
Why did the police yell to the guy if he was on the 3rd floor?
Why did the police yell to the guy if he was on the 3rd floor?
Hint:
America and England have different ways of numbering floors. In America, it goes 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor. In England, it goes ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Written In Blood Riddle
On a dark, stormy Halloween night, four kids named Luke, John, Sarah and Bob walk into a haunted house during a blackout. Only one can escape. They take a staircase to the second floor, a trapdoor on the left, then go up the ladder to the right, followed by a 28-foot slide to the basement through the mouth of a Giant Panda. In one corner of the murky cellar is a chainsaw, a dagger, a rope with a noose and an electric chair. Written on the wall in blood are the words, Only one will survive choose your death! Bob takes the rope, Sarah picks up the dagger, John chooses the chainsaw and Luke uses the chair.
Who survives?
Who survives?
Hint:
A Walk In The Desert Riddle
Four men walk into the desert. Suddenly all four are simultaneously knocked out. They awake buried to their heads in the sand unable to look anywhere but straight ahead. They are positioned so that each man sees another's head before him. However between the first and second man there is a separating wall.
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
Hint:
The third man. This is because he knows there are only two of each color cap. If the man behind him (the fourth man) saw two caps that were the same color in front of him, he would know that his own must be the opposite. However, because the caps alternate in color. The fourth man has only a 50% chance of getting his hat color correct, so therefore he stays quiet. The third man realizes that the fourth man is quiet because he must not see two caps of the same color in front of him, otherwise the fourth man would say the opposite of the caps in front of him. Therefore, the third man presumes his own cap must be the opposite of the mans in front of him, and his presumption is correct. Under this same logic, after the third man speaks his color hat, the second man, even though he sees only wall, would be the next to go free, because he knows his cap must be the opposite of whichever color the third mans cap was. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Husband, Wife And Mailman Riddle
A married couple went to the hospital to have their baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said he had invented a new machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's labor pain to the baby's father. He was asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favor of it.
The doctor set the pain transfer to 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. However, as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine and asked the doctor to go ahead and kick it up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20% pain transfer. The husband was still feeling fine. The doctor checked the husband's blood pressure and was amazed at how well he was doing. At this point, they decided to try out for 50%. The husband continued to feel quite well.
Since the pain transfer was obviously helping out the wife considerably, the husband encouraged the doctor to transfer all the pain to him. The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. She and her husband were ecstatic. When they got home, the mailman was dead on the porch. What happened?
The doctor set the pain transfer to 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. However, as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine and asked the doctor to go ahead and kick it up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20% pain transfer. The husband was still feeling fine. The doctor checked the husband's blood pressure and was amazed at how well he was doing. At this point, they decided to try out for 50%. The husband continued to feel quite well.
Since the pain transfer was obviously helping out the wife considerably, the husband encouraged the doctor to transfer all the pain to him. The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. She and her husband were ecstatic. When they got home, the mailman was dead on the porch. What happened?
Hint:
The machine transfers the pain to the baby's father. The wife cheated on her husband with the mailman and it was his baby. It never mentions that the husband is the baby's father. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Listens Yet Tells Riddle
Hint:
Writing a book. A book listens as you write, and tells your story when read. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Add Your Riddle Here
Have some tricky riddles of your own? Leave them below for our users to try and solve.