Only 1 In 5 People Can Pass This IQ Riddle Quiz

EDUCATION

By: Stella Alexander

6 Min Quiz

Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

When given a riddle, you might be left scratching your head at all the possibilities. Your brain is often prepared to think so far outside the box that you immediately skip past some of the most obvious answers. 

Riddles have a long history, and while most of them are probably new, there's a chance you remember quite a few of the older ones. People are still trying to get past the troll and across the bridge. It's been decades since a St. Ives traveler met a man with tons of wives, cats, and more. Although these riddles are old favorites, new ones are needed to keep testing the population! 

These brain teasers have almost become mainstream with their inclusion in entertainment. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had readers and viewers attempting to solve the Sphinx's riddle while paying attention to the plot. Riddles have been included in the plot of films like The Hobbit, Angels and Demons, and National Treasure. You can even catch the popular St. Ives riddle in the Bruce Willis' action flick, Die Hard with a Vengeance

While brain teasers and riddles seem like fun, they can often be a true test of your knowledge! Will your results prove that you're average or will you prove that you're a borderline genius? Let's find out!

How many cats can you put in an empty box?

After you put in one cat, the box isn't empty anymore.

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The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

As you take more footsteps, you are in turn leaving more footsteps behind you.

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16, 06, 68, 88, ___, 98

If you look at the numbers upside down, they are numbers 86-91.

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You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. What am I?

This riddle is talking about a candle. Many candles' "life expectancy" is measured through hours, and thinner candles burn more quickly than thicker ones.

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You are participating in a race. You pass the second person. What position do you finish?

Many people might be tempted to say first. If you were behind the second place runner, you were in third. Once you pass them, you would now take their spot as second.

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What starts with "e," ends with "e," and contains one letter?

The word "envelope" begins with the letter E and ends with the letter E. Also, unless someone's double stuffing it, an envelope would only have one letter.

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What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

Look at the letters of the words. The letter M appears once in the word "minute," twice in the word "moment," and it doesn't appear in the phrase "a thousand years."

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When you need me, you throw me away. When you're done with me, you bring me back. What am I?

When a boat needs to be anchored, the anchor is thrown overboard (or away). Once you're done with it, you bring it back onto the vessel.

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I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?

When you look at a map, you would find tons of cities and even mountains, but you wouldn't find specifics such as houses or trees.

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Some months have 31 days. How many have 28?

Don't get confused because February almost always has 28 days only. All the months have 28 days. Some just happen to have more than others.

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What has one head, one foot and four legs?

These are all parts of a bed. There's the head of the bed, the foot of the bed, and of course, the bed's four legs.

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David's father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and __________.

If David's father has three sons, Snap and Crackle would have to be the names of the two other sons. The third son's name would have to be David.

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What can you hold in your right hand but not in your left?

Since your hand cannot hold itself, it would be impossible for your left hand to be able to hold itself in the same way the right hand can.

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What is seen in the middle of March and April that can't be seen at the beginning or end of either month?

In this riddle, you'd have to look at the letters. The letter R falls in the middle of both March and April.

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Do they have a 4th of July in England?

If you're a U.S. native, you're probably thinking that 4th of July is solely Independence Day. For America it is, but for the other countries around the world, the 4th of July is just a day.

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I travel all over the world but always stay in my corner. What am I?

A stamp is placed at the "corner" of an envelope. Since letters can be sent all over the world, a stamp has the ability to travel the world while staying in a corner.

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When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?

The only time you'd find Christmas before Thanksgiving would be in the dictionary. Only a few countries celebrate Thanksgiving, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Japan, and Liberia.

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Many have heard me, but no one has seen me. I will not speak back until spoken to. What am I?

While a whisper can't be seen, it doesn't fit into the second half of this riddle. Only an echo doesn't speak unless spoken to because it responds to the initial call.

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You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again, you don't see a single person on the boat. Why?

While you might be reading the riddle as if there is no one left on the boat, you have to look at it in the relationship stance. If there's not a single person on board, this means everyone is married.

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Katherine was born on December 31st, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?

If Katherine's birthday is December 31st, it's definitely possible for her birthday to be during the summer. She would just have to live below the equator where the seasons are reversed.

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What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?

The only way you could ALWAYS apply a coat and have it be wet is if you're applying a coat of paint.

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What has many keys but can't open a single door?

A piano can have up to 88 keys, but since it's an object, it can't open a single door.

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I am the first on earth, the second in heaven. I appear twice in a week, though you can only see me once in a year. What am I?

Like a similar example, you'd have to look at the letters of this riddle. E appears first in the word earth and second in the word heaven. You'd find it twice in the word "week" and once in the word "year."

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What disappears as soon as you say its name?

If you were sitting in complete silence, once you say the word, you would have gotten rid of it.

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A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?

You'd take the pill first. 30 minutes later, you'd take the second pill. At the hour mark, you'd take the 3rd and final pill.

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What is the most curious letter?

Y is the most curious letter in the alphabet because Y and why would be homophones.

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You live in a one-story house made "entirely of redwood." What color would the stairs be?

Why would you have stairs? You live in a one-story house!

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We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not judged by our size. What am I?

Everyone says words are powerful and they are! They could hurt someone without ever moving and so on.

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I have keys, but no locks and space, but no rooms. You can enter, but you can't go outside. What am I?

A keyboard has numerous keys, a space button, and an enter button, but it has no rooms and you couldn't go outside it.

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If there are three apples and you take away two, how many do you have?

Before you get confused, don't look at this like a regular math subtraction problem. If YOU take away two apples, you would have two apples!

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What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

This riddle isn't asking you what word would become shorter in length. It's asking which word would LITERALLY become shorter when adding two letters and it would be "short."

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What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?

When you purchase charcoal, it is black, but once it's been lit, it glows red. Once it has finished its burn cycle, it becomes gray.

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How many letters are in the alphabet?

If you're familiar with the English alphabet, you might be quick to answer 26, but this is a riddle for a reason! There are tons of different alphabets around the world. This riddle is asking for the number of letters in "the alphabet."

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What gets wet while drying?

A tower helps you dry off your body, but in the process, it is becoming wet itself.

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I have two U.S. coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?

In this riddle, it tells you that ONE of them is not a nickel. That means the other one can be! The one that is not a nickel would be a half dollar.

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