How it works
These funny riddles with answers are 43 old pun riddles, where the answer turns on a word that sounds like another. Each answer stays hidden until you tap Show answer.
Read the full guide
How the joke works
Every answer hides a second word. The rain, dear sounds like reindeer; two lips sounds like tulips. When a pun is not plain, the answer spells the hidden word out in brackets, so a reader of any age can see why the room laughed.
Where they come from
All 43 are in Conundrums, Riddles and Puzzles, a joke book printed in 1903 and free to read at Project Gutenberg. We told each one again in plain words and left out the many that mock a person, a job or a country.
Tips
- Groan first, then explain the pun: a riddle that needs its brackets read out still gets the second laugh.
Questions and answers
Can you give me a funny riddle for a kid?
Try "What does a cat have that no other animal has?" The answer is kittens. The Animals and Food chips hold the ones a young child gets without the brackets; Word play suits older readers.
Why are old riddles funny now?
Because the puns still work: currants and currents, hard wear and hardware, a roll in bed. We left out the ones that need a word nobody says any more, or explained it in the answer, as with finis at the end of a book.
Can I see all the answers at once?
Yes. The full list below the tool prints all 43 riddles with each answer beside it. Keep it hidden while people are still guessing, or set the count to 10 and tap Show all answers at the end.