11 Riddles That Might Fool You at First Glance

These riddles aren’t about how smart you are. They’re about how well you notice things.

Each one uses misdirection, subtle wordplay, or hidden meaning to throw you off. If you race through them, you’ll likely miss the trick. But if you slow down and really pay attention, you’ll catch what others miss.

1.

• Question: Use your brain. No calculator.
  5+5×5 x 0+1×5=?
  Answer: 10.
  Step 1: Handle all multiplications
  5 × 5 = 25
  25 × 0 = 0
  1 × 5 = 5
  That gives us: 5 + 0 + 5
  Step 2: Add
  5 + 0 + 5 = 10

2.

• Question: A man walks ten blocks to work in the rain without an umbrella or a hat, but not a single hair on his head gets wet. How?
  Answer: He’s bald.

3.

• Question: How many months have 28 days?
  Answer: All 12 months.

4.

• Question: A clock chimes once every second after the first strike. If it chimes 5 times for 5 o’clock, it takes 4 seconds. How long will it take to chime 10 times for 10 o’clock?
  Answer: 9 seconds.
  When a clock strikes an hour, there’s a pause between each strike. The total time is spent between the strikes, not during the strikes themselves.
  At 5 o’clock:
  5 strikes = 4 intervals
  4 intervals = 4 seconds
  So for 10 o’clock:
  10 strikes = 9 intervals
  9 intervals = 9 seconds

5.

• Question: A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many are left?
  Answer: 9.

6.

• Question: What weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
  Answer: Neither. They both weigh one pound.

7.

• Question: Two boys are born at the exact same hour, on the same day, in the same year, but they aren’t twins. How is that possible?
  Answer: They’re part of a set of triplets.

8.

• Question: Why is it illegal for a man to marry his widow’s sister?
  Answer: Because he’s dead.

9.

• Question: A red house is made of red bricks. A blue house is made of blue bricks. What is a greenhouse made of?
  Answer: Glass.

10.

• Question: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
  Answer: The letter M.

11.

• Question: You enter a dark room with only one match. Inside is an oil lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
  Answer: The match.

These riddles aren’t hard because of complexity—they’re tricky because they rely on your attention to detail. It’s never just about what’s said, but how it’s said.