riddle

riddle — noun

IPA/ˈrɪdl/
KK[rˈɪdəl]IPA/ˈrɪdl/
  • riddlesingular
  • riddlesplural

1. A game in which one person asks a puzzling question with a surprising or amusing

1.nounB1
Definition

A game in which one person asks a puzzling question with a surprising or amusing answer, and the other person must guess that answer.

Example

Eitan asked his younger sister a riddle: 'What has keys but cannot open locks?' — the answer was a piano.

riddle + question with surprising answer

The children spent a rainy afternoon laughing at silly riddles from a book their grandmother had given them.

Common collocations
  • ask a riddle
  • solve a riddle
  • tell a riddle
  • answer a riddle
  • a riddle about
Synonyms
  • puzzle

    broader term — a puzzle can be a visual, logic, or word-based challenge; a riddle is always a question-answer format.

  • conundrum

    more formal or humorous; often refers to a tricky problem rather than a children's game.

  • brainteaser

    informal; focuses on the mental challenge rather than the playful question-answer format.

Grammar Patterns

a riddle about [topic]

ask/tell/solve a riddle

Usage Note

A riddle is always a question with an answer. If there is no question-answer structure, use 'puzzle' or 'mystery' instead.

Common Mistakes

He told me a riddle without an answer.
He told me a riddle and then gave me the answer.
a riddle always has an intended answer, even if the listener must guess it.

2. A situation, event, or person that is very difficult to understand or explain.

2.nounB2
Definition

A situation, event, or person that is very difficult to understand or explain.

Example

The sudden disappearance of the painting remained a riddle that no one in the town could explain.

collocation: remain a riddle

To the doctors, the patient's unusual symptoms were a complete riddle — none of the standard tests gave them any answers.

Common collocations
  • remain a riddle
  • be a riddle
  • solve a riddle
  • a riddle to someone
Synonyms
  • mystery

    very similar but slightly broader; a mystery can be solved by clues, while a riddle feels more puzzling or contradictory.

  • enigma

    more formal; suggests something deeply mysterious and perhaps permanently unsolvable.

  • puzzle

    suggests a problem that can be solved with effort; less dramatic than 'riddle'.

Grammar Patterns

remain a riddle

be a riddle to [someone]

Usage Note

Common with 'remain', 'be', and 'solve'. Unlike sense 1, this meaning does not involve a question-answer game — the 'riddle' is the confusing thing itself.

Common Mistakes

The crime is still a riddle without answer.
The crime is still a riddle that the police cannot solve.
use a relative clause rather than 'without answer' to sound natural.

riddle — verb

IPA/ˈrɪd.əl/
KK[rˈɪdəl]IPA/ˈrɪd.əl/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a mental challenge, but they differ in format and tone. A riddle is specifically a question with a clever or surprising answer — the format is always question-answer. A puzzle is far broader: it can be a jigsaw, a crossword, a logic problem, or a visual challenge; not all puzzles are riddles. Conundrum is a more formal or humorous word for a tricky problem, often one with no easy answer — it can sound literary or pretentious. Brainteaser is informal and focuses on the mental effort required; it overlaps with riddle but can also describe logic puzzles that are not question-answer based. For example: 'The children told riddles to pass the time on the bus' feels natural, while 'The children told brainteasers to pass the time' sounds slightly odd — one tells a riddle, but one works through a brainteaser.

riddle ↗puzzle ↗conundrum ↗brainteaser ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'riddle' comes from Old English rǣdels, meaning 'opinion, conjecture, or a puzzle to be solved'. It is related to rǣdan, meaning 'to advise, interpret, or guess'. The verb sense meaning 'to fill with holes' comes from a different source: late Middle English, from Old English hriddel (meaning 'a sieve'), referring to the way a sieve separates grain by passing it through holes. The two meanings — one about puzzling questions, the other about holes and flaws — are historically separate words that happen to share the same modern spelling.