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Riddles

Math Riddles and Puzzles with Answers

Here are 28 math riddles with answers, each with a hint, and every answer stays hidden until you tap it.

Good math riddles use small numbers and a trap: the answer that jumps out first is usually wrong, and a little reasoning finds the right one. This list has 8 easy, 9 medium, and 11 hard riddles for kids who like numbers, students, teachers and adults. 1 of them are from the Quiz Zoomies riddle video, and the rest were written and checked by the Quiz Zoomies team. Try each one before you open the answer, and use the hint if you get stuck.

28 math riddles

  1. There are 3 apples and you take away 2. How many apples do you have?

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    2 Hint: Who is holding them now?

  2. Some months have 30 days and some have 31. How many months have 28 days?

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    All 12 Hint: Does any month have fewer than 28?

  3. Multiply me by any number you like and the answer is always me. What number am I?

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    Zero Hint: I am nothing at all.

  4. There are 3 apples on a table. You take 2, then put 1 back. How many apples are on the table now?

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    2 Hint: Count what is left on the table.

  5. How many legs do 4 cats and 3 birds have altogether?

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    22 Hint: Cats have 4 legs and birds have 2.

  6. A jar holds 3 spiders and 2 beetles. Spiders have 8 legs and beetles have 6. How many legs are in the jar?

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    36 Hint: Do spiders and beetles separately.

  7. An egg box holds 12 eggs. How many boxes do you need for 50 eggs?

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    5 Hint: Four boxes are not quite enough.

  8. Each hand has 5 fingers, counting the thumb. How many fingers are there on 10 hands?

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    50 Hint: Count by fives.

  9. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?

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    Seven Hint: Spell the number out.

  10. Multiply all the numbers on a phone keypad together. What answer do you get?

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    0 Hint: One of the keys is special.

  11. When I was 6, my sister was half my age. Now I am 40. How old is my sister?

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    37 Hint: The age gap never changes.

  12. How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?

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    Once Hint: After the first time, it is no longer 25.

  13. Divide 30 by half and add 10. What do you get?

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    70 Hint: Dividing by half is not the same as halving.

  14. Which three different positive whole numbers give the same answer when you add them as when you multiply them?

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    1, 2 and 3 Hint: They are the three smallest.

  15. Tom is 4 years old and his brother is 3 times as old. When Tom is 12, how old will his brother be?

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    20 Hint: First find the brother's age today.

  16. I am a number. Add me to myself or multiply me by myself, and you get the same answer. I am not zero. What number am I?

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    2 Hint: Try the small numbers.

  17. It takes 5 minutes to boil one egg. How long does it take to boil 3 eggs together in one pot?

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    5 minutes Hint: They all cook at the same time.

  18. A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many are left?

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    9 Hint: Read the words 'all but' very carefully.

  19. A brick weighs 1 kilogram plus half a brick. How much does one whole brick weigh?

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    2 kilograms Hint: Half a brick must weigh 1 kilogram.

  20. Two hens lay two eggs in two days. How many eggs does one hen lay in four days?

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    2 Hint: Work out how many eggs one hen lays per day.

  21. A frog is at the bottom of a 10 meter well. Each day it climbs up 3 meters, and each night it slides back 2 meters. On which day does it reach the top?

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    Day 8 Hint: On the last day it does not slide back.

  22. Using only addition, how can you add eight 8s to get 1,000?

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    888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 Hint: Some of the 8s can stick together.

  23. A clock strikes 6 times at 6 o'clock, and it takes 5 seconds from the first strike to the last. How long does it take to strike 12 times at noon?

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    11 seconds Hint: Count the gaps, not the strikes.

  24. I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is 5 more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is 8 less than my tens digit. What number am I?

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    194 Hint: The tens digit must be as big as it can be.

  25. Which number, written in English, has all its letters in alphabetical order?

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    Forty Hint: It is between 30 and 50.

  26. If a hen and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs does one hen lay in one day?

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    Two thirds of an egg Hint: Fewer hens and fewer days means fewer eggs, twice over.

  27. Seven friends meet, and each one shakes hands with every other friend once. How many handshakes are there?

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    21 Hint: The first friend shakes 6 hands, the next one 5 new hands.

  28. A dad is 30 years older than his son. In 5 years he will be 3 times as old as his son. How old is the son now?

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    10 Hint: Try a few ages for the son.

Share a single riddle: every riddle on this page has its own page
  1. There are 3 apples and you take away 2. How many apples do you have?
  2. Some months have 30 days and some have 31. How many months have 28 days?
  3. Multiply me by any number you like and the answer is always me. What number am I?
  4. There are 3 apples on a table. You take 2, then put 1 back. How many apples are on the table now?
  5. How many legs do 4 cats and 3 birds have altogether?
  6. A jar holds 3 spiders and 2 beetles. Spiders have 8 legs and beetles have 6. How many legs are in the jar?
  7. An egg box holds 12 eggs. How many boxes do you need for 50 eggs?
  8. Each hand has 5 fingers, counting the thumb. How many fingers are there on 10 hands?
  9. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
  10. Multiply all the numbers on a phone keypad together. What answer do you get?
  11. When I was 6, my sister was half my age. Now I am 40. How old is my sister?
  12. How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?
  13. Divide 30 by half and add 10. What do you get?
  14. Which three different positive whole numbers give the same answer when you add them as when you multiply them?
  15. Tom is 4 years old and his brother is 3 times as old. When Tom is 12, how old will his brother be?
  16. I am a number. Add me to myself or multiply me by myself, and you get the same answer. I am not zero. What number am I?
  17. It takes 5 minutes to boil one egg. How long does it take to boil 3 eggs together in one pot?
  18. A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many are left?
  19. A brick weighs 1 kilogram plus half a brick. How much does one whole brick weigh?
  20. Two hens lay two eggs in two days. How many eggs does one hen lay in four days?
  21. A frog is at the bottom of a 10 meter well. Each day it climbs up 3 meters, and each night it slides back 2 meters. On which day does it reach the top?
  22. Using only addition, how can you add eight 8s to get 1,000?
  23. A clock strikes 6 times at 6 o'clock, and it takes 5 seconds from the first strike to the last. How long does it take to strike 12 times at noon?
  24. I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is 5 more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is 8 less than my tens digit. What number am I?
  25. Which number, written in English, has all its letters in alphabetical order?
  26. If a hen and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs does one hen lay in one day?
  27. Seven friends meet, and each one shakes hands with every other friend once. How many handshakes are there?
  28. A dad is 30 years older than his son. In 5 years he will be 3 times as old as his son. How old is the son now?

Frequently asked questions

How many math riddles are on this page?

28 math riddles (8 easy, 9 medium, and 11 hard), over 1 page. Each has a hint and an answer hidden under a Show answer button, and its own page you can share.

What are some good math riddles?

There are 3 apples and you take away 2. How many apples do you have? 2. Some months have 30 days and some have 31. How many months have 28 days? All 12. Multiply me by any number you like and the answer is always me. What number am I? Zero.

What is a math riddle?

A word puzzle where the answer is a number and the trick is in the wording. For example: when I was 6, my sister was half my age. Now I am 40. How old is my sister? 37, because she is always 3 years younger.

Can I print these riddles?

Yes. Press Print above the list: every answer opens for the printout and the page drops its menus, so you get a clean sheet for a classroom or a party.

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