Lighter Than Air

I’m lighter than air but a million men can’t lift me. What am I?

A bubble.

Posted in Riddles

What Once Was Red Is Black Instead

Tear one off and scratch my head, what once was red is black instead. What am I?

A match. You tear a match out of a matchbook and scratch the head to light it, then the red tip turns black from the flame.

This is an exact duplicate of Tear One Off and Scratch My Head but I’m leaving it to avoid broken links.

Posted in Riddles

Alphonso and Sadie

Alphonso and his sister Sadie are entering the airport to meet their mother when Sadie gasps in surprise and says to her brother, “You see that man in the crowd over there?”

Alphonso replies, “It’s Bernie. I don’t believe it. Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

Neither of them had ever met Bernie before. They’d never seen a picture or painting of him, nor was he a famous celebrity.

How was this possible?

Alphonso was born as a twin, but he was separated from his twin brother at birth. Bernie is Alphonso’s identical twin, which is how Sadie was able to recognize him in the crowd.

This is kind of a cheat, because there are probably other possible explanations. But we can’t have everything :)

Posted in Brain Teasers

Head, Tail, Brown and No Legs

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

A penny.

Posted in Riddles

The Same Upside Down

A word of five letters,
Upside down is the same,
A shark does this,
But it’s not to blame.

What is the word?

SWIMS.

If you turn the word upside down it’s the same word (the W and M flip to resemble themselves). A shark swims to attack, but it’s not bad. Sharks are just trying to eat. I’d still recommend you swim away if you see one swimming toward you.

Posted in Riddles
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A Square and a Cube

What two-digit number is the square of one number and the cube of another?

64

82 = 64
43 = 64

Posted in Brain Teasers

Find The Country Names

How many country names can you find in the following statements?

Don’t reach in a crack in the rocks, there might be snakes in there.
While I was on the highway called the Alcan, a daily occurrence was car breakdowns.
The top social class, as defined by many, is the upper-upper.

Three.

1. China (reaCH IN A)
2. Canada (alCAN A DAily)
3. Peru (upPER-Upper)

Posted in Brain Teasers

Secure Spy Transfer

You are a spy and need to send an item to a contact in another country without letting anyone else have access to it. All unlocked items will be opened in transit. How can you send this item securely?

Place a lock on the item and send it to your contact. They will place their own lock on the package and return it to you. You remove your lock and send it back. When they receive it, they can unlock the package and retrieve the item.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Four Colored Balls in Gym Class

Four different-colored balls are being used in a gym class activity – blue, red, yellow and orange. Each student must hold two different-colored balls, but no two students can have the same two colors (for example, only one student can hold the blue and red ball).

How many students can play the game?

Six. If you prefer math, you can calculate it as 4 combination 2

4! / (2!)^2
24 / 4 = 6

Or you can work it out manually:

1. Blue Red
2. Blue Yellow
3. Blue Orange
4. Red Yellow
5. Red Orange
6. Yellow Orange

Posted in Brain Teasers

Word Pronounced Incorrectly

What 11-letter word does everyone pronounce incorrectly?

The word “incorrectly”.

Posted in Riddles