44 Tricky Riddles for High School Students with Answers

High school is a time for learning, growth, and, yes, even a little fun. One way to keep students engaged and thinking is with a set of riddles specifically designed for high school students. Whether used as icebreakers, bell ringers, or just for a bit of entertainment, these riddles are sure to keep students on their toes and maybe even elicit a few laughs along the way.

9 Classic Riddles for High School Students

1. What has keys but no doors, space but no rooms, and lets you enter but not leave? A keyboard.
2. A man shaves every hour but still has a beard at the end of the day. How is this possible? He is a barber.
3. A man went out walking in the rain for an hour. When he got back home, not a single hair on his head was wet. How is this possible? He was bald.
4. Jorge and Nora were playing chess. They both won. How was this possible? They were playing against other people.
5. What has 18 legs and catches flies all day? A baseball team.
6. I’m great to taste, but bad to smell. What am I? Garlic.
7. What has rings but no fingers? Saturn.
8. What must you break in order to use it? An egg.
9. I lose a head every morning, but get it back at night. What am I? A pillow.

   14 ELA Enigmas and Wordplay Puzzles

10. I like coffee, but I don’t like tea. I like cheese, but I don’t like chips. I like doors, but I don’t like windows. What category of things do I like? Things with double letters.
11. What breaks as soon as you say its name? Silence.
12. What disappears as soon as it’s spoken? The answer.
13. What word has three consecutive pairs of double letters? Bookkeeper.
14. What is the center of gravity? The letter V.
15. What did the active sentence say to the passive sentence? Don’t change the subject.
16. What becomes shorter when you add more letters to it? Short.
17. When you spell me forwards, I’m heavy, but when you spell me backwards, I’m not. What am I? A ton.
18. Golf, rugby, diving, cycling. What sport comes next? Football, baseball, or lacrosse.
19. What building has the most stories in the whole town? The library.
20. What word is always spelled wrong in the dictionary? Wrong.
21. What word starts with “e,” ends with “e,” and only has one letter in it? An envelope.
22. What word has all 26 letters? Alphabet.
23. How can you spell “candy” in only two words? C and Y.

    Challenge high schoolers with daily class riddles

    Consider incorporating daily riddles into your classroom routine. Students can answer these riddles in a daily journal or discuss them with a partner before the lesson begins. This not only engages students but also helps them practice critical thinking skills.

    If you’re looking for more riddles and brain teasers, check out resources like "ELA Bell Ringers Riddles Brain Teasers" by Lana’s Classroom. With 50 riddles and accompanying solutions, this resource offers editable slides and a daily agenda to keep the riddles flowing in your classroom.

    Turn clever riddles into team tournaments

    Encourage teamwork and friendly competition by turning riddle-solving into a team activity. Resources like "ELA Bell Ringers – Collaborative Team ELA Trivia, Puzzles, Riddles" by Nouvelle ELA provide over 80 riddles and pop culture questions for students to tackle in teams. With a student answer sheet and a teacher’s answer key, this resource is perfect for engaging students in a fun and educational competition.

    10 Riddles for High School Student Scientists

24. What weighs more: a pound of feathers or a pound of steel? They weigh the same (a pound).
25. What kind of room has no windows, doors, floors, or ceilings? A mushroom.
26. What has a mouth but never eats and runs all day but never gets tired? A river.
27. Even the strongest person in the world can only hold this for a short time. What is it? Their breath.
28. What do cats have that no other animal has? Kittens.
29. What happens to your body if you go eight days without sleep? Nothing, you sleep at night.
30. If it has food, it lives. If it has water, it dies. What is it? Fire.
31. I burn your mouth, I sting your eye. If you have too much of me, you’ll die. What am I? Salt.
32. You can roll this ball, but you can’t bounce it or throw it. What is it? An eyeball.
33. I’m sometimes full, sometimes blue, sometimes hidden, sometimes new. What am I? The moon.

    Use science riddles in scavenger hunt review activities

    Engage students in science review activities by incorporating riddles into scavenger hunts. Resources like "Cell Organelle Riddles – School Wide Scavenger Hunt" by The Trendy Science Teacher challenge students to test their knowledge of cell organelles through fun and interactive scavenger hunts. With editable cards and answer keys, this resource offers a unique way to reinforce scientific concepts in a hands-on way.

    For chemistry students, "Lab Equipment Chemistry Lab Safety Riddles Scavenger Hunt Activity 10th Grade" by The Canadian Chemist provides a fun and engaging way to review lab equipment and safety procedures. With 16 riddles and an extra challenge for fast finishers, this resource makes learning about lab safety both educational and entertaining.

    11 Math Riddles and Number Puzzles

34. A pear costs 40 cents, a banana costs 60 cents, and a tangerine costs 80 cents. How much does a pomegranate cost? One dollar.
35. What did the odd teenager say to his teacher? Can you give me a different problem?
36. When can you add 6 to 11 and get 5 as the correct answer? When you’re adding hours on a clock.
37. How many times can you subtract 5 from 100? Once.
38. How do you get to 1,000 by adding eight 8s together? 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8.
39. 8, 5, 4, 9, 1. What number comes next in this sequence? 7.
40. A 37-year-old woman and a 38-year-old man have three children. When you add the children’s ages together, you get 13. When you multiply the ages, you get 36. The oldest child has played tennis for two years. How old is each child?
41. A man buys a guitar and a guitar case for $110 total. The guitar costs $100 more than the case. How much did the guitar cost? $105.
42. How do you get 45 only using 4s? 44 + 4/4.
43. John was 15 in 1990 but 10 in 1995. How is this possible? He was born in 2005 B.C.E.
44. If A plus B is 76, and A minus B is 38, what’s A divided by B? 2.

    Algebra riddles that make math less mysterious

    For algebra students, resources like "Solving Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities Riddle Activity" by Math Beach Solutions offer a fun way to practice absolute value equations. With three versions of practice worksheets and an algebraic riddle to solve, students can reinforce their algebra skills while enjoying a bit of a challenge.

    Similarly, "Negative Exponent Riddle Me Worksheet" by Learning Made Radical focuses on negative exponent rules aligned with CCSS standards. With 25 problems to solve and a hidden math puzzle to uncover, students can work on their algebra skills in an engaging and interactive way.

    Tips for Using High School Riddles in Class

    • Incorporate riddles into your classroom routine for added fun and engagement.
    • Use riddles as icebreakers on the first day of school to help students get to know each other.
    • Offer riddles as extra credit questions on tests or quizzes.
    • Challenge students with a riddle of the week and reward the first student to solve it.
    • Encourage students to create their own riddles to share with the class.

      Learning Can Be a Laughing Matter with TPT

      By incorporating high school riddles and resources into your classroom, you can make learning a more enjoyable and interactive experience for your students. Whether you’re looking to engage students at the beginning or end of class or provide a fun challenge for them to tackle, high school riddles are a great way to keep students interested and motivated in their learning journey.