One Line Riddles with Answers
- 15 riddles
- Ages 6-11
- Answers included
Short enough to remember and repeat, which is the main test of a good riddle. A child who can carry one of these to school and use it on a friend has learned it properly.
Nothing here takes more than a sentence to ask.
What has to be broken before you can use it?
An eggYou crack the shell to reach the inside.
What gets bigger the more you take away?
A holeDigging removes material and enlarges it.
What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive?
A gloveIt is shaped like a hand.
What can you hold without ever touching?
A conversationYou hold a conversation with words, not hands.
What has words but never speaks?
A bookIt is full of language but silent.
What goes up when the rain comes down?
An umbrellaYou open it in the rain.
What has a ring but no finger?
A telephoneIt rings but wears no jewellery.
What can you serve but never eat?
A tennis ballYou serve in tennis, badminton and volleyball.
What runs but never walks?
WaterA river runs, and so does a tap.
What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coinHeads and tails are its two sides.
What has four legs in the morning and cannot walk?
A tableIt stands on four legs all day and never moves.
What can travel the world without leaving its corner?
A stampIt sits in the corner of an envelope.
What breaks when you say its name?
SilenceSpeaking ends it.
What is easy to lift but hard to throw?
A featherIt weighs almost nothing, so air resistance stops it.
What comes down but never goes up?
RainIt falls and does not rise again as rain.
Questions about One Line Riddles with Answers
What makes a good one line riddle?
It has to be short enough to remember after hearing it once, and the answer has to feel obvious the moment it is revealed.
What age are these for?
Ages six to eleven. They are ideal for a child who wants riddles to tell other people rather than to solve.
Can these be used as a classroom activity?
Yes. They work well as a two-minute starter, and children can be asked to explain why the answer works rather than just naming it.
How is a one line riddle different from a joke?
A riddle asks a real question with a findable answer. A joke does not expect you to solve anything. Some riddles here sit close to the line.