Word Riddles With Answers
Updated · Best Riddles With Answers editorial team
Quick answer: This page has 42 word riddles with answers, built on palindromes, anagrams, compound words, homophones and odd facts about English spelling. It suits word-game fans, students and families who like a language challenge. Start with the easy set, move on to the trickier and hard riddles, and use the quick-fire set to test your grammar vocabulary.
Easy Word Riddles
I am a word for a flat surface, and I read the same backwards as forwards. What word am I?
Level.
I am a three-letter word for a parent. Turn me upside down in capitals and I say wow. What word am I?
Mom (MOM upside down reads WOW).
Which word comes after butter, dragon and fire to make three new words?
Fly: butterfly, dragonfly, firefly.
Which word comes after foot, basket and snow to make three new words?
Ball: football, basketball, snowball.
Which word comes after sun, moon and day to make three new words?
Light: sunlight, moonlight, daylight.
Which word comes before bell, bird and berry to make three new words?
Blue: bluebell, bluebird, blueberry.
Which word comes before fish, dust and light to make three new words?
Star: starfish, stardust, starlight.
I rhyme with cat, and I sit on your head to keep the sun off. What word am I?
Hat.
What is the opposite of the opposite of cold?
Cold. Opposite of cold is hot, and the opposite of hot is cold.
How many syllables are in the word syllable?
Three: syl, la, ble.
Which number sounds exactly like the word ate?
Eight.
What do we call words that sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things, like to, too and two?
Homophones.
Trickier Word Riddles
What word do you get when you spell desserts backwards?
Stressed.
What word changes how it is pronounced when you capitalise it?
Polish (Polish people, but polish your shoes).
Which word means both to split apart and to stick together?
Cleave.
What is the longest common word you can type using only the top row of letter keys?
Typewriter, with ten letters.
Rearrange the letters of eleven plus two to make another sum with the same answer.
Twelve plus one. Both have the same 13 letters and both equal 13.
Rearrange the letters of dormitory to describe what a student's room often looks like.
Dirty room.
Rearrange the letters of astronomer to describe someone who gazes at the moon.
Moon starer.
I am a small boat paddled with a double-bladed paddle, and I read the same backwards. What word am I?
Kayak.
Which three small words, in order, are hidden inside the word together?
To, get, her.
I am a six-letter word, but only three of my letters make a sound. I wore armour long ago. What am I?
Knight. The K, G and H are silent.
What do we call a word that sounds like the noise it describes, such as buzz, sizzle or splash?
Onomatopoeia.
What do we call two words that are spelled the same but mean different things, like bat the animal and bat for cricket?
Homonyms.
Hard Word Riddles
Change COLD into WARM in four steps, changing only one letter each time.
COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM.
Which word means both to approve and to punish?
Sanction.
Which 14-letter word contains the vowels a, e, i, o, u and also the letter y, and means beyond question?
Unquestionably.
Which nine-letter word has only one vowel and is the plural of a word about physical power?
Strengths.
What is the longest common word you can type with the left hand only?
Stewardesses, with twelve letters.
How might you pronounce g-h-o-t-i if gh sounds as in enough, o as in women and ti as in nation?
Fish.
What is the name for a word that spells a different word when read backwards, such as diaper and repaid?
A semordnilap.
Which word has he at the start for a male, her for a female, hero for a brave man and the whole word for a brave woman?
Heroine.
Which 15-letter word has no letter used twice and describes something the law cannot protect?
Uncopyrightable.
Rearrange the letters of the morse code to make a phrase about what it sends.
Here come dots.
Quick-Fire Word Riddles
A word that means the opposite of another.
Antonym.
A word that means the same as another.
Synonym.
A word that names a person, place or thing.
Noun.
A word that describes an action.
Verb.
A word that describes a noun, like big, red or soft.
Adjective.
A book that lists words and their meanings.
Dictionary.
A group of words that makes a complete thought.
Sentence.
A word that is spelled the same backwards.
Palindrome.
How to Use These Riddles
Word riddles reward playing with letters. Write the word out, try reversing it, splitting it or rearranging its letters, and say it aloud in case the answer hides in the sound. Many answers only click once you stop thinking about meaning.
In a classroom, the compound word riddles are good for younger pupils and the anagram and palindrome riddles for older ones. Ask pupils to invent their own riddles in the same pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good example of a word riddle?
Try this: which word comes after butter, dragon and fire to make three new words? The answer is fly. It tests vocabulary, and children enjoy finding the compound words.
What is a semordnilap?
A semordnilap is a word that spells a different word when read backwards, such as diaper and repaid or desserts and stressed. The name is palindromes spelled backwards.
What is the longest word with no repeated letters?
Uncopyrightable and dermatoglyphics both have 15 letters with none repeated, and are usually named as the longest common English words of that kind.
Are word riddles good for children's learning?
Yes. They build vocabulary, spelling awareness and flexible thinking. Easy compound-word and rhyme riddles suit young children, while anagrams and palindromes challenge older children and adults.
