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❓ Riddles Study Notes

What has hands but cannot clap? — answers and explanations for all 100 questions. Cover the answer, have a guess first, then check the explanation. Want to play it as a quiz? Try it at the Quiz Playground!

Q. What has four legs but cannot walk?

Options: A table · A puppy · A goat · A cat

Answer: A table

A table! It has four legs but stays right where it is.

Q. What has hands but cannot clap?

Options: A monkey · A clock · A glove · A doll

Answer: A clock

A clock! Its hands go round and round.

Q. What has an eye but cannot see?

Options: A potato · A camera · A needle · A fish

Answer: A needle

A needle! The little hole is called its eye.

Q. What has teeth but cannot bite?

Options: A shark · A dog · A saw · A comb

Answer: A comb

A comb! Its teeth are for your hair.

Q. What has a neck but no head?

Options: A bottle · A giraffe · A snake · A scarf

Answer: A bottle

A bottle! You pour from its neck.

Q. What gets wetter the more it dries?

Options: A sponge · A towel · The sun · A shirt

Answer: A towel

A towel! It dries you and gets soaked doing it.

Q. What runs but never walks?

Options: A car · A clock · A river · A horse

Answer: A river

A river! Water runs all day and never takes a step.

Q. What has a bed but never sleeps?

Options: A hotel · A hospital · A baby · A river

Answer: A river

A river! The bottom of a river is called its bed.

Q. What has a mouth but never eats?

Options: A river · A cave · A door · A cup

Answer: A river

A river! Where it meets the sea is called its mouth.

Q. What is full of holes but still holds water?

Options: A basket · A sponge · A net · A sieve

Answer: A sponge

A sponge! Holes everywhere, and still soaking wet.

Q. What has many keys but can't open a single lock?

Options: A janitor · A car · A piano · A map

Answer: A piano

A piano! 88 keys and not one door.

Q. What can travel around the world while staying in one corner?

Options: A cloud · A bird · The wind · A stamp

Answer: A stamp

A stamp! It sits in the corner of the envelope the whole way.

Q. What goes up but never comes down?

Options: Your age · A balloon · A kite · A rocket

Answer: Your age

Your age! It only ever goes one way.

Q. What has words but never speaks?

Options: A parrot · A book · A phone · A radio

Answer: A book

A book! It's full of words and perfectly quiet.

Q. What can you catch but never throw?

Options: A ball · A fish · A cold · A bus

Answer: A cold

A cold! Catch it and you can't throw it back.

Q. What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?

Options: A statue · A robot · A doll · A glove

Answer: A glove

A glove! It's the shape of a hand with nobody in it.

Q. What is always in front of you but can't be seen?

Options: The future · A wall · The wind · Air

Answer: The future

The future! It's always just ahead.

Q. What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish?

Options: A dream · A map · A painting · A story

Answer: A map

A map! Everything is there, and none of it is real.

Q. What gets bigger the more you take away from it?

Options: A cake · A pile · A hole · A balloon

Answer: A hole

A hole! Dig away and it just grows.

Q. What has a head and a tail but no body?

Options: A snake · A comet · A kite · A coin

Answer: A coin

A coin! Heads or tails?

Q. What kind of room has no doors or windows?

Options: A mushroom · A bathroom · A classroom · A bedroom

Answer: A mushroom

A mushroom! Look at the word again.

Q. What has ears but cannot hear?

Options: A rabbit · Corn · A cup · A chair

Answer: Corn

Corn! An ear of corn hears nothing at all.

Q. What has a tongue but cannot talk?

Options: A bell · A dog · A shoe · A frog

Answer: A shoe

A shoe! The flap under the laces is its tongue.

Q. What has a spine but no bones?

Options: A snake · A fish · A cat · A book

Answer: A book

A book! The part that holds the pages is its spine.

Q. What has a ring but no finger?

Options: A telephone · A tree · A hand · A box

Answer: A telephone

A telephone! It rings and rings.

Q. What building has the most stories?

Options: A castle · A library · A tower · A school

Answer: A library

A library! It's stuffed with stories.

Q. What comes down but never goes up?

Options: A bird · A ball · Rain · Smoke

Answer: Rain

Rain! It only falls.

Q. What can fill a whole room but takes up no space?

Options: Water · Air · Sand · Light

Answer: Light

Light! Flick the switch and the room is full.

Q. What flies without any wings?

Options: Time · A bat · A kite · A seed

Answer: Time

Time! It flies whether you like it or not.

Q. What has bark but never bites?

Options: A puppy · A tree · A wolf · A fox

Answer: A tree

A tree! Its bark is on the outside.

Q. What can you keep even after you give it to someone?

Options: A present · A toy · Your word · Money

Answer: Your word

Your word! Give it and you still have it.

Q. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

Options: Glass · An egg · Ice · Silence

Answer: Silence

Silence! Say it out loud and it's gone.

Q. What is always coming but never arrives?

Options: Tomorrow · A bus · The mail · A guest

Answer: Tomorrow

Tomorrow! When it gets here, it's today.

Q. What has a neck and no head, and two arms but no hands?

Options: A bottle · A shirt · A snake · A tree

Answer: A shirt

A shirt! Neck, sleeves, and nothing else.

Q. What can you break without ever touching it?

Options: A window · A plate · A promise · A stick

Answer: A promise

A promise! You break it with your actions.

Q. What has one head, one foot, and four legs?

Options: A dog · A table · A chair · A bed

Answer: A bed

A bed! A headboard, a foot, and four legs.

Q. What is lighter than a feather, but nobody can hold it for long?

Options: Your breath · A leaf · A balloon · Paper

Answer: Your breath

Your breath! Try holding it and see.

Q. What can go up a chimney down, but not down a chimney up?

Options: Smoke · An umbrella · Santa · A bird

Answer: An umbrella

An umbrella! Closed it goes down; open it never fits.

Q. What tastes better than it smells?

Options: A cake · A flower · Your tongue · Soup

Answer: Your tongue

Your tongue! It does the tasting.

Q. What is black and white and read all over?

Options: A zebra · A panda · A piano · A newspaper

Answer: A newspaper

A newspaper! 'Read' all over, not 'red'.

Q. What gets sharper the more you use it?

Options: Your brain · A knife · A pencil · Scissors

Answer: Your brain

Your brain! Everything else wears down.

Q. What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary?

Options: Right · Wrong · Word · Spell

Answer: Wrong

'Wrong'! It's spelled W-R-O-N-G every time.

Q. What has four eyes but cannot see a thing?

Options: A spider · A fly · Mississippi · A potato

Answer: Mississippi

Mississippi! Count the letter i.

Q. Which month has 28 days?

Options: February · March · Only leap months · All of them

Answer: All of them

All of them! Every month has at least 28.

Q. What starts with T, ends with T, and has T inside it?

Options: A teapot · A tent · A toast · A trout

Answer: A teapot

A teapot! There's tea inside.

Q. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?

Options: An oak · A palm · A pine · A maple

Answer: A palm

A palm! The palm of your hand.

Q. What has four wheels and flies?

Options: An airplane · A car · A garbage truck · A bus

Answer: A garbage truck

A garbage truck! Flies buzz all around it.

Q. What do you throw away to use, and take back when you're done?

Options: A ball · A rope · A net · An anchor

Answer: An anchor

An anchor! Overboard to use, back up after.

Q. What has a bottom right at the top?

Options: Your legs · A mountain · A cup · A tree

Answer: Your legs

Your legs! Your bottom is at the top of them.

Q. What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?

Options: A river · A road · A train · The wind

Answer: A road

A road! It goes everywhere and stays put.

Q. What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?

Options: A doll · A robot · A clock · A statue

Answer: A clock

A clock! Its hands point at its face.

Q. What is taken before you can get it?

Options: A bus · A gift · A test · A photo of you

Answer: A photo of you

Your picture! Someone takes it, then you have it.

Q. What has a lock that no key can open?

Options: A lock of hair · A door · A box · A safe

Answer: A lock of hair

A lock of hair! Different kind of lock.

Q. What kind of coat is only put on when it's wet?

Options: A raincoat · A coat of paint · A winter coat · A fur coat

Answer: A coat of paint

A coat of paint! You put it on wet.

Q. What has a horn but doesn't make music?

Options: A trumpet · A flute · A rhino · A drum

Answer: A rhino

A rhino! Its horn is for defending itself.

Q. What has a heart but no other body parts?

Options: A dog · A robot · A doll · A deck of cards

Answer: A deck of cards

A deck of cards! Hearts, but no lungs.

Q. Which is heavier: a kilo of feathers or a kilo of stones?

Options: They weigh the same · Feathers · Stones · Neither has weight

Answer: They weigh the same

The same! A kilo is a kilo.

Q. What can you hold in your left hand but never in your right?

Options: A ball · Your right elbow · A cup · A pencil

Answer: Your right elbow

Your right elbow! Give it a try.

Q. What goes up and down but never moves?

Options: A lift · A ball · A staircase · A bird

Answer: A staircase

A staircase! It goes up and down and stays still.

Q. What has legs but never walks?

Options: A horse · A bird · A spider · A chair

Answer: A chair

A chair! Four legs and it never budges.

Q. What gets broken without being held?

Options: A promise · A plate · A glass · A stick

Answer: A promise

A promise! Or a rule.

Q. What can run but never gets tired?

Options: An athlete · A river · A horse · A dog

Answer: A river

A river! It runs forever.

Q. What kind of band never plays any music?

Options: A rock band · A brass band · A rubber band · A school band

Answer: A rubber band

A rubber band! Stretchy, not musical.

Q. What has a bank but no money?

Options: A shop · A wallet · A safe · A river

Answer: A river

A river! Its edges are called banks.

Q. What has a trunk but is not a tree?

Options: An elephant · A bush · A flower · A vine

Answer: An elephant

An elephant! Its nose is a trunk.

Q. What has a crown but is not a king?

Options: A queen · A tooth · A prince · A hat

Answer: A tooth

A tooth! The top of it is the crown.

Q. What has a nail but is not a finger?

Options: A hand · A wall · A hammer · A shoe

Answer: A hammer

A hammer — well, what it hits! A nail goes in wood.

Q. What has a foot but no legs?

Options: A bird · A cat · A horse · A snail

Answer: A snail

A snail! It slides along on one big foot.

Q. What has a leaf but is not a tree?

Options: A book · A rock · A cup · A shoe

Answer: A book

A book! Each page is called a leaf.

Q. What has a bow but no arrow?

Options: A hunter · A ribbon · A target · An arrow

Answer: A ribbon

A ribbon! Tied in a bow.

Q. What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?

Options: A car · A bed · Trouble · A coat

Answer: Trouble

Trouble! Getting in takes a second.

Q. What can be cracked, made, told and played?

Options: An egg · A nut · A window · A joke

Answer: A joke

A joke! Crack a joke, tell a joke, play a joke.

Q. What goes all around a field but never moves an inch?

Options: A fence · A tractor · A farmer · A cow

Answer: A fence

A fence! All the way around and perfectly still.

Q. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?

Options: A snake · A penny · A worm · A mouse

Answer: A penny

A penny! Heads, tails, brown, no legs.

Q. What kind of dog never bites?

Options: A puppy · A guard dog · A hot dog · A sheepdog

Answer: A hot dog

A hot dog! It goes in a bun.

Q. What kind of nut has a hole?

Options: A peanut · A walnut · A chestnut · A doughnut

Answer: A doughnut

A doughnut! Hole right in the middle.

Q. What kind of ship never sails on water?

Options: A friendship · A sailboat · A cargo ship · A submarine

Answer: A friendship

A friendship! The best kind.

Q. What kind of pool can't you swim in?

Options: A swimming pool · A car pool · A paddling pool · A rock pool

Answer: A car pool

A car pool! You ride, not swim.

Q. What has a coat but never wears it?

Options: A person · A cupboard · A dog · A shop

Answer: A dog

A dog! Its fur is called a coat.

Q. What sits in a corner but travels the world?

Options: A cat · A plant · A lamp · A stamp

Answer: A stamp

A stamp! It rides in the corner.

Q. What can be long or short, grown or bought, painted or left alone?

Options: Your nails · Your hair · A stick · A rope

Answer: Your nails

Your nails! All of those are true.

Q. What has one letter but isn't a word?

Options: The letter A · A mailbox · An envelope · A postcard

Answer: A mailbox

A mailbox! It holds letters.

Q. What kind of table has no legs?

Options: A dinner table · A coffee table · A timetable · A picnic table

Answer: A timetable

A timetable! It tells you when.

Q. What kind of star is not in the sky?

Options: A shooting star · The North Star · The Sun · A movie star

Answer: A movie star

A movie star! On the screen instead.

Q. What kind of cake can't you eat?

Options: A cake of soap · A pancake · A cupcake · A birthday cake

Answer: A cake of soap

A cake of soap! For washing, not eating.

Q. What has a face that never smiles?

Options: A baby · A clock · A doll · A clown

Answer: A clock

A clock! It just tells the time.

Q. What can you serve but never eat?

Options: Soup · Rice · A tennis ball · Bread

Answer: A tennis ball

A tennis ball! You serve it over the net.

Q. What has a stem but is not a flower?

Options: A rock · A book · A shoe · A glass

Answer: A glass

A wine glass! The thin part is its stem.

Q. What has a wave but no water?

Options: Your hand · A boat · A fish · A beach

Answer: Your hand

Your hand! Wave hello.

Q. What is at the end of a rainbow?

Options: Gold · The letter W · Rain · A cloud

Answer: The letter W

The letter W! R-A-I-N-B-O-W.

Q. What is in the middle of March and April?

Options: Spring · Easter · The letter R · Rain

Answer: The letter R

The letter R! In the middle of each word.

Q. What starts with an E, ends with an E, and has one letter inside?

Options: An egg · An eye · An eagle · An envelope

Answer: An envelope

An envelope! One letter inside it.

Q. What has a hand but can't hold anything?

Options: A clock · A monkey · A glove · A statue

Answer: A clock

A clock! Its hands just point.

Q. What goes around the house but never touches it?

Options: A cat · The fence · The Sun · A car

Answer: The fence

The fence! Around and around, never touching.

Q. What kind of key can't open a door?

Options: A house key · A car key · A monkey · A gold key

Answer: A monkey

A monkey! Or a piano key.

Q. What is white when dirty and black when clean?

Options: A shirt · A plate · A window · A blackboard

Answer: A blackboard

A blackboard! Chalk makes it white.

Q. What has a bill but is not money?

Options: A duck · A wallet · A bank · A shop

Answer: A duck

A duck! Its beak is called a bill.

Q. What has scales but is not a fish?

Options: A snake · A weighing scale · A lizard · A dragon

Answer: A weighing scale

A weighing scale! It tells you how heavy you are.

Q. What has a needle but does not sew?

Options: A tailor · A dress · A pine tree · A button

Answer: A pine tree

A pine tree! Its leaves are needles.

Q. What has an arm but no hand?

Options: A doll · A robot · A coat · A chair

Answer: A chair

A chair! You rest on its armrest.

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