Hard Riddles to Solve with Answers

Most of us love riddles and puzzles. They give us the opportunity for out of the box thinking and to rattle our brains. They are a good way to occupy time when we are alone or traveling. Apart from being entertaining, riddles are also very good for the development of your mind. Studies have shown that puzzles and problem solving among other activities, stimulate the brain can cause the brain to grow and also reduce chances of memory loss later. To get you started, here are some hard riddles to solve with answers.

Hard Riddles with Solutions
Try your answers for each riddle before clicking the "Show Answer" link.

1. What row of numbers comes next in this series?
   1
   11
   21
   1211
   111221
   312211
   13112221
   Show Answer
   
   Answer:
   1113213211 After the first line, each line describes the previous line:
   One One
   Two Ones
   One Two, One One
   (and so on...)
   
2. You have a barrel of oil, and you need to measure out just one gallon. How do you do this if you only have a three-gallon container and a five-gallon container?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   Fill the 3-gallon container with oil and pour it into the 5-gallon container. Then fill the 3-gallon container again and use it to fill the 5-gallon container the rest of the way. One gallon will be left in the 3-gallon container.
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one
   Micheal j fox has a small one
   Madonna doesn't have one
   the pope has one but he never uses it
   Bill Clinton Has one and he uses it all the time!
   What is it?...
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   A Surname
4. If your sock drawer has 6 black socks, 4 brown socks, 8 white socks, and 2 tan socks, how many socks would you have to pull out in the dark to be sure you had a matching pair?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   Five. There are only four colors, so five socks guarantee that two will be the same color.
5. A large truck is crossing a bridge 1 mile long. The bridge can only hold 14000 lbs, which is the exact weight of the truck. The truck makes it half way across the bridge and stops. A bird lands on the truck. Does the bridge collapse? Give a reason.
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   No it does not collapse. Because it has driven a half mile - you would subtract the gas used from the total weight of the truck.
6. Mom and Dad have four daughters, and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the family?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   Seven. The four daughters have only one brother, making five children, plus mom and dad.
7. What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   Queue.
8. Why wasn't Bertha put in jail after killing dozens of people?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   She was a hurricane.
9. If I say "Everything I tell you is a lie," am I telling you the truth or a lie?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   A lie. It can't be the truth without contradicting itself (and therefore being a lie), but some of my statements can be lies, and this is one of those statements.
10. How did Mark legally marry three women in Michigan, without divorcing any of them, becoming legally separated, or any of them dying?
    Show Answer
    Answer:
    It's part of his job - he's a justice of the peace.
11. The paragraph below is very unusual. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it?
    "Gatsby was walking back from a visit down in Branton Hill's manufacturing district on a Saturday night. A busy day's traffic had had its noisy run; and with not many folks in sight, His Honour got along without having to stop to grasp a hand, or talk; for a mayor out of City Hall is a shining mark for any politician. And so, coming to Broadway, a booming bass drum and sounds of singing, told of a small Salvation Army unit carrying on amidst Broadway's night shopping crowds. Gatsby , walking towards that group, saw a youg girl, back toward him, just finishing a long, soulful oration ... "
    The above passage is taken from the book "Gatsby" written by Ernest Vincent Wright in the late 1930's.
    Show Answer
    Answer:
    The letter "E" is the most commonly used letter in the English language, yet in the whole passage, there was no "E" used.
12. While exploring the wild highlands of Ireland, Robert was captured by goblins. Grumpy, the chief of the goblins told him he was allowed one final statement on which would hinge how he would die. If the statement he made was false, he would be boiled in water. If the statement were true, he would be fried in oil. Sine Robert did not like either option, so he made a statement that forced the goblins to release him. What is the one statement he could make to save himself?
    Show Answer
    Answer:
    Robert said: "You will boil me in water." The goblins were faced with a dilemma. If they boil him in water, that would make his statement true, which means he should have been fried in oil. They can only fry him in oil if he makes a true statement, but if they do, it would make his final statement false. The fairies had no way our of their situation so they were forced to set Robert free.

Read more on:

• Hard Riddles - Good Brain Teasers
• Trick Questions and Answers
  

Hard Riddles for Kids
For kids, here are some hard riddles to enjoy, along with the answers.

1. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   A towel.
2. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   A stamp.
3. Take away the whole and some still remains. What is it?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   The word "wholesome."
4. There are two dogs sitting on a porch - one dog is fat and one is thin. The little dog is the son of the fat dog, but the fat dog is not the father of the thin dog.
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   The fat dog is the mother.
5. If it has a quart capacity, how many pennies can you put into a empty piggy bank?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   Just one - after that it won't be empty.
6. If there are three cups of sugar and you take one away, how many do you have?
   Show Answer
   Answer:
   You have just one - the one you took away.

Read more on:

• Brain Teasers for Kids
• Funny Riddles for Kids

I hope you enjoyed these hard riddles to solve with answers. You would have realized that most are hard riddles with simple answers. However, the ones with numbers are hard riddles for adults and older kids. If you had fun solving them, continue to keep your mind sharp and agile with more riddles, puzzles and crafts.