110 Brain Teasers That Will Give Your Mind A Workout
They're harder than they look.
shutterstock Your body isn’t the only thing that needs exercise.
Keeping your brain active with puzzles and brain teasers is a great way to fight off memory loss and lack of concentration. It’s also just a fun way to pass the time.
Now that we’re spending more time staring into screens for mindless entertainment, it’s so important to use our time online wisely and challenge our brains.
So, if you’re ready to put yourself (or your friends and family) to the test, try figuring out these brain teasers.
Scroll down for the answers to see if you’re right. But remember — no peeking!
1. I have a money box that's 10 inches wide and 5 inches tall. Roughly how many bills can I place in my empty money box?
One, after which it will no longer be empty.
2. A woman gave birth to two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year, but were not twins. How is this possible?
They’re triplets, not twins.
3. Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?
Incorrectly.
4. It is sweeter than honey. It is hotter than the sun. The King needs it. But a beggar has it. What is it?
Nothing. Nothing is sweeter than honey or hotter than the sun. The King needs nothing, the beggar has nothing. Eat nothing and you die of starvation.
5. I am a window, I am a lamp, I am clouded, I am shining, and I have color, set in white, I fill with water and overflow. I say much, but I have no words. What am I?
An eye.
6. What gets broken without being held?
A promise.
7. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a long one. Michael J. Fox has a short one. Madonna doesn’t use hers. Bill Clinton always uses his. The Pope never uses his. What is it?
A last name.
9. Joseph and Lena are found dead on the floor with some water around. The windows are open and a strong wind draft is blowing the curtains around. How did they die?
Joseph and Lena were goldfishes. The wind tipped their bowl over, hence they died.
10. A red house is made from red bricks. A blue house is made from blue bricks. A yellow house is made from yellow bricks. What is a greenhouse made from?
Glass.
11. There is a word in the English language in which the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four signify a great man, and the whole word is a great woman. What is the word?
Heroine.
12. A man is trapped in a sealed room with only two doors. One of them leads to a fire-breathing dragon, while the other one leads to a room made up of magnifying glass. Anyone who dares to enter it is charred off before they know it. How does he escape?
He waits until nighttime and then leaves through the glass room.
13. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
A secret.
14. What is at the end of a rainbow?
The letter W.
15. How many months have 28 days?
All of them.
16. If I am holding a bee, what do I have in my eye?
Beauty, because "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
17. A sundial has the fewest moving parts of any timepiece. Which has the most?
An hourglass.
18. How can 8+8=4?
8 AM plus 8 more hours equals 4 PM.
19. I am heavy and hard to pick up, but backward I am not. What am I?
A ton, which is equal to 2,000 pounds and spelled backward is N-O-T.
20. A cowboy rides into town on Friday, stays for three days and leaves on Friday. How is this possible?
His horse's name is Friday.
21. Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?
The number 8. On its side, it looks like an infinity sign. Cut in half, it looks like two zeros.
22. You're in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove, and a gas lamp. You only have one match, so what do you light first?
The match.
23. A woman stands on one side of a river, her dog on the other. There is no bridge. The woman calls her dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet. How did the dog do it?
The river was frozen.
24. What is unusual about the following words: revive, banana, grammar, voodoo, assess, potato, dresser, uneven?
If you take the first letter of each word and place it at the end, it'll spell the same word backward.
25. A coin is in an empty bottle but a cork is in the neck. How can you remove the coin without removing the cork or breaking the bottle?
Push the cork down into the bottle and shake the coin out.
26. What makes this number unique: 8,549,176,320?
It contains each number, zero through nine, in alphabetical order.
27. What do the following words have in common: polish, job, herb?
All three words are pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized.
28. What type of cheese is made backward?
Edam cheese.
29. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
Mount Everest. It was still the highest in the world, it just hadn't been discovered yet.
30. What can be seen once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a thousand years?
The letter M.
31. Which tire doesn't move when a car turns right?
The spare tire.
32. What can travel around the world while staying in one corner?
A stamp.
33. I have no voice, yet I speak to you. I tell of all things in the world that people do. I have leaves, but I am not a tree. I have pages, but I am not a bride. I have a spine, but I am not a man. I have hinges, but I am not a door. I have told you all. I cannot tell you more. What am I?
A book.
34. A father and son were in a car accident where the father was killed. The ambulance brought the son to the hospital. He needed immediate surgery. In the operating room, a doctor came in and looked at the little boy and said I can't operate on him he is my son. Who is the doctor?
The doctor is the boy’s mother.
35. I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. You cannot express happiness without me yet I am in the midst of crosses. I am always in risk yet never in danger. You may find me in the sun but I am never out of darkness. What am I?
The letter S.
36. What can you hold without ever touching it?
Your breath.
37. What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow.
38. First I threw away the outside and cooked the inside, then I ate the outside and threw away the inside, what did I eat?
Corn on the cob.
39. If you drop me, I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?
A mirror.
40. A man describes his daughters, saying, “They are all blonde, but two; all brunette, but two; and all redheaded, but two.” How many daughters does he have?
Three: a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead.
41. What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right?
Your right elbow.
42. What building has the most stories?
A library.
43. What band doesn’t play music?
A rubber band.
44. What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
A blackboard.
45. If the water level in a reservoir is low, but doubles every day. It takes 60 days to fill the reservoir. How long does it take for the reservoir to become half full?
59 days. If the water doubles every day and the reservoir is full on day 60, that means it was half full on day 59, not on day 30.
46. Put a coin into an empty bottle and insert a cork into the neck. How can you remove the coin without removing the cork or breaking the bottle?
Push the cork down into the bottle. Then shake the coin out.
47. You just bought a cute rabbit at a pet store. The rabbit can breed once every month, and deliver 7 babies at a time. How many rabbits do you have after 12 months?
One, you need two rabbits to breed.
48. A man kills his wife and hides the body in some bushes. The next day the police call and say his wife has been murdered and tell the man to come to the crime scene right away. As soon as the man gets there he is arrested. Why?
The police never told him where the crime scene was.
49. When I take five and add six, I get eleven, but when I take six and add seven, I get one. What am I?
A clock.
50. Mary was born on December 25th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?
Mary lives in the southern hemisphere.
51. A woman lives alone in a farmhouse. Two prison escapees intend to kill whoever they see in the farmhouse that night and hide out there. That night, the attack happened but the woman survived. How is that possible?
The two escapees attacked and killed each other.
52. A girl goes to her mother’s funeral and meets the man of her dreams but she doesn’t get his name or number. Nobody knows who the man is. Three days later the girl kills her own sister. Why?
To see if the man would come to her sister’s funeral.
53. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps.
54. A man pushes his car to a hotel and tells its owner that he is bankrupt. Why?
He’s playing Monopoly.
55. You are a cyclist in a cross-country race. Just before the crossing finish line, you overtake the person in second place. In what place did you finish?
2nd place. If you pass the person in second, you take second place, and they become third.
56. You are in a room that has three switches and a closed door. The switches control three light bulbs on the other side of the door. Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again. How can you tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?
Turn on the first two switches. Leave them on for 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes have passed, turn off the second switch, leaving one switch on.
Now go through the door. The light that is still on is connected to the first switch. Whichever of the other two is warm to the touch is connected to the second switch. The bulb that is cold is connected to the switch that was never turned on.
57. What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?
The letter M.
58. He has married many women, but has never been married. Who is he?
He is a preacher.
59. You have a 3-gallon jug and a 5-gallon jug. You need to measure out exactly 7 gallons of water. How can you do it?
Fill the 5-gallon jug, pour it into the 3-gallon jug until the 3 gallon is full, and leave 2 gallons in the 5-gallon jug. Now pour the 3-gallon jug out. Pour the remaining 2 gallons from the 5-gallon into the empty 3-gallon jug. Now fill the 5-gallon from the faucet. You now have exactly 7 gallons.
60. A gunman hangs up his hat, turns around, and walks 5000 meters, then turns around and shoots his gun, putting a hole right through his hat. How did he do it?
He hung up the hat on his gun.
61. I come in different shapes and sizes. Parts of me are curved, other parts are straight. You can put me anywhere you like, but there is only one right place for me. What am I?
A puzzle piece.
62. I have no eyes, no legs, or ears, and I help move the earth. What am I?
An earthworm.
63. You do not want to have it. But when you do have it, you do not want to lose it. What is it?
A lawsuit.
64. An elevator is on the ground floor. There are four people in the elevator, including me. When the lift reaches the first floor, one person gets out and three people get in. The lift goes up to the second floor, 2 people get out, 6 people get in. It then goes up to the next floor up, no one gets out but 12 people get in. Halfway up to the next floor up the elevator cable snaps, it crashes to the floor. Everyone else dies in the elevator except me. How did I survive?
I got off on the first floor.
65. What has a mouth but cannot eat, moves but has no legs, and has a bank but cannot put money in it?
A river.
66. A man condemned to death has the option of picking one of the mentioned three rooms. The first room is a furnace filled with feeding flames, the second has armed men with loaded guns while the third has lions who haven’t eaten in years. Which one should the man choose?
The third room, because lions who haven’t eaten for years would be long dead.
67. Take off my skin. I won’t cry, but you will! What am I?
An onion.
68. A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn’t break the law.
She was walking.
69. Which weighs more: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
Neither, they both weigh one pound.
70. What has one eye but cannot see?
A needle.
71. A man left home running. He ran a distance and then turned left, ran the same distance and turned left again, ran the same distance and turned left again. When he got home, there were two masked men. Who were they?
The catcher and the umpire.
72. As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, each cat had seven kittens. How many were going to St. Ives?
1, only I was going to St. Ives.
73. I can be short and sometimes hot. When displayed, I rarely impress. What am I?
A temper.
74. My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale. What am I?
A book.
75. Four cars come to a four-way stop, all coming from a different direction. They can’t decide who got there first, so they all go forward at the same time. They do not crash into each other, but all four cars go. How is this possible?
They all made right-hand turns.
76. I have a big mouth and I am also quite loud, I get involved in everyone’s dirty business but I do not gossip. What am I?
A vacuum cleaner.
77. Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
A coffin.
78. Two sailors stand on opposite sides of the ship. One looks to the West, one looks to the East yet they can see each other clearly. How?
They stand with their backs against the sides of the ship so they could each other.
79. What can travel the world while staying in one corner?
A stamp.
80. How many of each species did Moses take on the ark with him?
None, Moses wasn’t on the ark. Noah was.
81. What kind of running means walking?
Running out of gas.
82. They fill me up and you empty me, almost every day; if you raise my arm, I work the opposite way. What am I?
A mailbox.
83. First I am dried, then I am wet. The longer I swim, the more taste you get. What am I?
Tea.
84. What fastens two people yet touches only one?
A wedding ring.
85. My voice is tender, my waist is slender and I’m often invited to play. Yet wherever I go I must take my bow or else I have nothing to say. What am I?
A violin.
86. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
A towel.
87. What invention lets you look right through a wall?
A window.
88. Two men are playing chess. They play five games. Each man wins three games. How is that possible?
They were not playing each other.
89. Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die.
Fire.
90. Paul’s height is six feet, he’s an assistant at a butcher’s shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh?
He weighs meat.
91. A farmer has a wolf, a chicken, and a bag of grain he needs to get across a river. He has one boat to take them all across. He can only take one at a time. He can’t leave the wolf alone with chicken or the chicken alone with the grain. How does he do it?
He takes chicken first. He takes the wolf over second and comes back with the chicken. He drops off the chicken and takes the grain to the other side with the wolf. Last, he goes back to get the chicken and brings him across.
92. I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. What am I?
A piano.
93. I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry. On the same spot, I’m always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?
A windmill.
94. What can be stolen, mistaken, or altered, yet never leaves you your entire life?
Your identity.
95. How can a man who shaves several times a day still sport a long beard?
The man is a barber.
96. What coat goes on wet?
A coat of paint.
97. Two boxers are in a match scheduled for 12 rounds. One of the boxers gets knocked out after only six rounds, yet no man throws a punch. How is this possible?
The boxers are women.
98. I have keys, but no locks. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
A computer keyboard.
99. I have seas without water, coasts without sand, towns without people, and mountains without land. What am I?
A map.
100. How much dirt is in a hole that measures 2 feet by 3 feet by 4 feet?
None, a hole is empty.
101. What disappears as soon as you say it?
Silence.
102. What belongs to you but everyone else uses it more?
Your name.
103. A family has two parents and six sons. Each of the sons has one sister. How many people are in the family?
Nine. Two parents, six sons, one daughter.
104. What runs all around a backyard, yet never moves?
A fence.
105. I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Then I turned east and hiked for 3 miles. I then turned north and hiked for 3 miles, at which time I came upon a bear inside my tent eating my food! What color was the bear?
White. The only place you can hike 3 miles south, then east for 3 miles, then north for 3 miles and end up back at your starting point is the North Pole. There are only polar bears in the North Pole, and they are white!
106. What do you throw out when you want to use it but take in when you don’t need it?
An anchor.
107. Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet you miss me when I have flown. What am I?
Time.
108. Why can't you take a picture of a man with a wooden leg?
Because a wooden leg can't take pictures, only a camera can.
109. What has four fingers and a thumb, but isn’t alive?
A glove.
110. What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole.
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her on Twitter for more.