Birthday Riddles With Answers
Updated · Best Riddles With Answers editorial team
Quick answer: This page offers 42 birthday riddles with answers for party hosts, parents, teachers and anyone writing a card. The easy riddles suit young children, the trickier ones play with words and ages, and the hard set has number puzzles with the working shown. Use them as party games, card messages or a quiz while the cake is cut.
Easy Birthday Riddles
I have a tiny flame on my head, and you blow me out after making a wish. What am I?
A birthday candle
I am sweet and round, covered in icing, and everyone sings before I am cut. What am I?
A birthday cake
I am wrapped in paper and tied with a bow, and you shake me to guess what is inside. What am I?
A present
I am shaped like a cone and worn on the head. I have an elastic strap under the chin. What am I?
A party hat
I am hung from a tree, filled with sweets, and children hit me with a stick while blindfolded. What am I?
A piñata
I am filled with air and tied to a string. If you let go, I float to the ceiling. What am I?
A balloon
You make me in silence just before blowing out the candles, and you must not tell anyone. What am I?
A wish
I am tiny pieces of coloured paper that people throw into the air to celebrate. What am I?
Confetti
Everyone knows my tune and sings me before the cake is cut, and I have only four short lines. What am I?
The Happy Birthday song
I am a folded piece of paper with a picture on the front and a message written inside. Everyone signs me. What am I?
A birthday card
I come in a cone or a cup, I am cold and sweet, and I melt if you wait too long. What am I?
Ice cream
I come around once a year and the day is all about you. What am I?
Your birthday
Trickier Birthday Riddles
The more of me you have, the older you are, yet everyone is happy to get another. What am I?
Birthdays
I must be cracked before I am used in the cake. What am I?
An egg
My birthday only comes around once every four years, but I am 20 years old. On what date was I born?
February 29th (a leap day)
Ana is three times as old as her brother. Her brother is 4. How old will Ana be in 4 years?
16, because Ana is 3 x 4 = 12 now, and 12 + 4 = 16
A cake is cut into 8 equal slices. Three children eat 2 slices each. How many slices are left?
2, because 3 x 2 = 6 and 8 - 6 = 2
I am the first age with two digits, and a child counts the days until I arrive. What age am I?
Ten
Many teenagers celebrate me with the word 'sweet' in front of my number. What number am I?
Sixteen (sweet sixteen)
I am a small label tied to a gift that says who it is from and who it is for. What am I?
A gift tag
In this party game, music plays while a gift is passed from hand to hand, and when it stops, one layer of paper is torn off. What game is it?
Pass the parcel
In this party game there is always one chair fewer than there are players, and the music decides who is out. What game is it?
Musical chairs
After the candles are blown out, I drift up from them in a thin grey line. What am I?
Smoke
Everyone hides in the dark, the guest of honour walks in, and the whole room shouts. What kind of party is it?
A surprise party
Hard Birthday Riddles
Two girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, in the same year, yet they are not twins. How is this possible?
They are two of a set of triplets (or more)
A man says: 'The day before yesterday I was 25, and next year I will turn 28.' When is his birthday, and what day is he speaking?
His birthday is December 31st and he is speaking on January 1st. Two days ago he was 25, he turned 26 yesterday, 27 later this year and 28 next year
A pack holds 24 candles. A cake for a 9 year old uses one candle for each year and one extra for luck. How many candles are left in the pack?
14, because 9 + 1 = 10 and 24 - 10 = 14
Three children turn 5, 7 and 9 on the same day. How many candles are needed for all three cakes together?
21, because 5 + 7 + 9 = 21
A party has 60 balloons. A third are red and a quarter are blue. The rest are yellow. How many are yellow?
25. Red is 20, blue is 15, and 60 - 35 = 25
A party starts at 2:15 in the afternoon and lasts two and a half hours. When does it finish?
4:45 in the afternoon, because 2:15 + 2:30 = 4:45
Six guests each clink glasses once with every other guest. How many clinks are there altogether?
15, because each of 6 clinks with 5 others, which is 30, but each clink is counted twice, so 30 / 2 = 15
Twins have different birthdays and were born in different years, yet only two minutes apart. How?
One was born just before midnight on December 31st and the other just after midnight on January 1st
What is the greatest number of pieces you can cut a round cake into with three straight cuts across the top?
7 pieces. The cuts must all cross each other inside the cake
Mia is three times as old as her cousin. In 6 years she will be twice as old as her cousin. How old is Mia now?
18. Her cousin is 6, and in 6 years they will be 24 and 12
Quick-Fire Birthday Riddles
Sweet and white, spread on top of the cake. What am I?
Icing
Long paper ribbons hung across the room. What are we?
Streamers
Blow in me and I unroll with a squeak. What am I?
A party blower
A small bag of sweets handed out as guests leave. What is it?
A goody bag
Hat, wand and a trick up the sleeve at the party. Who am I?
A magician
Pinned to a shirt, it says 'Birthday Girl'. What is it?
A badge
Tied in a bow on top of a gift. What am I?
A ribbon
Tiny coloured sugar strands shaken over a cake. What are they?
Sprinkles
How to Use These Birthday Riddles
At a party, read one riddle between games and let the guests shout out answers before the cake comes out. The easy set works for ages four and up, and the quick-fire riddles are ideal while children wait for their turn.
For cards and notes, choose a riddle about the age or the cake and write the answer upside down at the bottom. Older guests will enjoy the number puzzles, so ask them to show their working.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good birthday riddle for a child?
Try 'I have a tiny flame on my head, and you blow me out after making a wish.' The answer is a birthday candle. Riddles about cakes, balloons and presents are easy for young children.
What is the riddle about a birthday only every four years?
The answer is February 29th. A person born on a leap day has a calendar birthday only once every four years, so someone aged 20 has had just five of them.
Can these riddles be used as party games?
Yes. Read a riddle aloud and let guests shout answers, or write them on cards and split the room into teams. The maths riddles make a good challenge round for older children and adults.
How can twins have different birthdays and different years?
If one twin is born just before midnight on December 31st and the other just after midnight on January 1st, their birthdays fall on different dates and in different years, even though they are minutes apart.
