165 Trick Questions for Kids (Tricky Questions with Answers)

We’ve put together 165 different mind trick questions for kids that are a lot of fun to ponder over.

To help kids reconnect with their power of focus and to tap deeper into the wealth of creativity, simply ask one of these tricky questions and give them time to contemplate.

Don’t worry about answering the questions incorrectly. There is a lot of fun to be had by hearing some of the questions be answered incorrectly.

Often times, trick questions are formulated in a way to solicit wrong answers. Make sure to create a safe, fun place to be wrong.

Try these little mind tricks out when you get a chance with the children in your life, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself scratching your head a little bit with some of the riddles, puzzles, and trick questions we have highlighted below, either!

Trick Questions with Answers

1. Mr. Jones noticed that his pants pockets were totally empty – but that there was still something in it. What was it?
Answer

A hole.

2. What letters are easily found in every single day of the week?
Answer

D – A – Y.

3. Which jungle animal is hiding “inside” these letters – L P H N?
Answer

An elephant.

4. What’s left when you take an ant out of a plantain?
Answer

Something plain.

5. A mouse wants to get in better shape. She’s going to start by climbing stairs. Starting on the fourth floor, she climbs up five stories, down seven stories, up six stories, down three stories, and up for stories again. What floor is she on?

The Ninth Floor

6. Can you add one mathematical symbol in between 55555 to equal 500?
Answer

555-55 = 500

7. Adam turned left, right, spun around 360°, stood on his head, and then walked backwards before taking a picture of the sunset. What direction was he pointing?
Answer

West.

8. The Jones family started driving south for their summer vacation, going through five different states along the way.

The Bradfords are driving in the opposite direction and only went through three states. What direction are they driving in?
Answer

North

9. Peter the polar bear had a birthday party, with each guest bringing five fish. A nasty little penguin stole two fish but there were still 198 fish left. How many people came to the party?
Answer

40.

10. Ricky the Rabbit eats 1 carrots on Sunday, 2 carrots on Monday, 4 carrots on Tuesday, and so on. How many carrots does he eat every week?
Answer

127 carrots.

11. If five alligators can eat five fish in three minutes, how long will 18 alligators need to eat 18 fish?
Answer

Three minutes.

12. If tomorrow I said “the day before yesterday was Saturday”, which day is today?
Answer

Sunday.

13. Freddie the Frog had an accident and broke one of his legs. He went to the hospital on Monday, November 1 and left on November 30. What day of the week is it?
Answer

Tuesday.

14. Mr. and Mrs. Banjo are eating ice cream. Mrs. Banjo says that if her husband gives her one scoop of his ice cream she’ll have twice as many scoops as him.

Mr. Banjo says that if she gives him one of her scoops available have the same amount. How many scoops do they each have?
Answer

Mrs. Banjo has seven scoops and Mr. Banjo has five.

15. Rosie orders six bowls of ice cream with three scoops in each. Tony wants as many scoops as her, but in just two dishes. How many scoops are in each of his dishes?
Answer

Nine scoops in each.

16. Laura says that she can throw a ball so that it flies away from her, will change direction suddenly, and then come right back to her all by itself. Is that even possible?
Answer

Yes, so long as she throws the ball straight up in the air.

17. A bag of gummy bears has three red ones, three green ones, three yellow gluttons, and three white ones. How many gummy bears would you have to take out of the bag to get three of the same color?
Answer

Nine.

18. A cookie jar has 10 chocolate chip cookies and 10 M;M cookies. How many cookies would you have to take out to get two of each kind?
Answer

12 cookies.

19. Lisa is William’s niece, but she isn’t Emily’s niece – even though Emily is William’s sister and William isn’t married. How is that possible?
Answer

Lisa is Emily’s daughter.

trick questions

20. Can you name three things that are only sold in pairs?
Answer

Gloves, shoes, socks.

21. Three clocks have different times. One a little fast, one a little slow, and one just) one clock says 10: 05, another 9: 56, and another 10: 11. Which is right?
Answer

10: 05

22. Was the smallest amount of coins you can use to get exactly $0.65
Answer

Two quarters, dime, and a nickel.

23. Maggie lives on a street with 10 houses. The houses are numbered 1 to 10.

If Maggie adds up all the house numbers that are lower than hers, the total is three times her actual house number. What number is Maggie’s house?
Answer

House number seven.

24. A new movie comes out with the first people showing up an hour before showtime.

The audience doubles every 10 minutes, and after 60 minutes the theater is full. When was the theater half full?
Answer

10 minutes before the movie began.

25. Which multiples of four are found between 10 and 19?
Answer

12 and 16

26. What uneven numbers are between 10 and 16?
Answer

11, 13, and 15

27. What’s the biggest number you can make with the numbers three, five, and seven?
Answer

753

28. Every year on Mars is double the length of a year on earth, how old would you be if you lived on Mars?
Answer

Double your age.

29. Seven brothers were born two years apart. The youngest brother is seven. How old is the oldest brother?
Answer

19.

30. Mr. Adams is exactly 5 times as old as his dog Spike. In five years, Mr. Adams will only be three times as old as Spike. How old will he be in five years?
Answer

30.

31. If every month had exactly 30 days instead of some with 29, some with 30, and some with 31 would each year be longer or shorter?
Answer

Shorter (360 days)

32. Which two numbers come out the same whether you multiply or add them together?
Answer

2×2 = 4 and 2+2 = 4.

33. Ricky and Billy find of lettuce with 20 individual leaves. Because Ricky found the lettuce first he gets an extra leaf than his friend. How many leaves does Ricky get?
Answer

10 ½ leaves.

34. If you counted up all of the ears in the country and then divided that number by two, what would you know for sure?
Answer

How many living creatures were in that country.

35. A teacher says that there are fewer than 30 students but more than 20 in a classroom.

The children can be divided into groups of two, three, four, six, and eight with no leftovers. How many students are there?
Answer

24 students.

36. Carla leaves New York at eight in the morning, driving 35 mph. Harriet starts driving to New York at a speed of 50 mph.

When they meet a which one will be furthest away from New York?
Answer

They will be the same distance from New York when they meet.

37. If days on Mars are as long as two weeks on Earth, how long is an hour?
Answer

14 Earth hours.

38. Amy is 14 and her mother is 38. How many years ago was her mother exactly 3 times as old as Amy?
Answer

Two years ago.

39. A baker carries a bag of flour that weighs 15 pounds. He takes half of the flour out, but finds the bag weighs 9 pounds. How heavy is the empty bag?
Answer

3 pounds.

40. What does this secret message say? Tha twasn treall ys oh ardaf terall
Answer

That wasn’t really so hard after all.

41. Mrs. Adams tells her neighbor that her son turns 16 today and that next birthday he’ll be 20. How can that be?
Answer

He was born on February 29, leap year.

42. What object doesn’t belong in this list – trumpet, flute, violin, harmonica, tuba?
Answer

The violin.

trick questions

43. If you rolled a single die just once, would you be least likely to roll an odd number, number larger than three, or a number smaller than three?
Answer

A number smaller than three.

44. 16 players enter into a basketball shootout tournament. How many games have to happen before a winner is announced?
Answer

15.

45. A farmer has both geese and goats. He counted the legs on all of his animals and found that there are exactly 36. How many geese and how many goats does he have?
Answer

Geese to Goats – 2/8, 4/7, 6/6, 8/5, 10/4, 12/3, 14/2

46. If only these letters were written down – J FM AM J JAS OND – what would they mean?
Answer

The first letter of every month in the year.

47. Four friends are racing. Lisa finishes four hours ahead of Tony, with Pete finishing eight hours ahead of Max.

Max needed six more hours to finish than Lisa. What order do they cross the finish line in?
Answer

Pete, Lisa, Tony, Max.

48. Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in the month of May. When is the earliest day it could be?
Answer

May 8.

49. If you were born in odd numbered year will you celebrate your 50th birthday in an odd or even year?
Answer

Odd year.

50. Billy tells his sister Sarah that he is twice as old and twice as smart as her right now.

Sarah says that in five years should be twice as old as she is now and that Billy won’t be. How old will they be in five years?
Answer

Billy will be 15 and Sarah will be 10.

51. Put together, Tom and his father away 280 pounds. Tom’s dad weighs three times as much as he does. How much does Tom weigh?
Answer

70 pounds.

52. What two numbers make a one digit number when you multiply them but a two digit number when you add them together?
Answer

One and nine.

53. A city bus sets out for the morning with no passengers on board. At the first stop, two people get on, at the next stop five more.

One after that, seven people get on and three people get off. At the following stop, five people get on and six people get off.

The last stop has three people getting on and one people getting off. How many stops were made?
Answer

Five stops.

54. How many double-digit numbers are there?
Answer

92.

55. Just how far can a deer run into the woods?
Answer

Halfway!

56. I am an odd number, but if you take away just a single letter I become even. Can you guess my number?
Answer

Seven.

57. What has hands but does not point, does not waive, and will never clap?
Answer

A watch.

58. If you have a red home made out of red bricks and a yellow home made out of yellow bricks, what is a greenhouse be made out of?
Answer

Glass!

59. What aren’t you able to use until you break it?
Answer

Eggs.

60. What’s something that goes up and up and up but will never, ever go down?
Answer

Your age.

61. Can you guess a five letter word that becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer

Short. (Short plus ER equals shorter)

62. Can you think of a word that starts with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
Answer

A teapot.

63. I’m tallest when brand-new but much, much shorter when I’m worn out. What am I?
Answer

A candle.

64. Do you know the one word spelled wrong in every single dictionary ever made?
Answer

The word “wrong”.

65. Draw a line on a piece of paper. Without touching that line, how can you make it longer?
Answer

Draw a short line right next to it.

66. Can you think of something so delicate that just saying its name will break it immediately?
Answer

“Silence”.

67. What word begins with E but only has one letter in it?
Answer

An envelope.

68. Can you think of something really easy to get into but really hard to get out of?
Answer

Trouble!

trick questions

69. The entire Brown family wouldn’t stand under an umbrella but still didn’t get wet. How’s that possible?
Answer

It wasn’t raining to begin with.

70. David’s mom and dad had three sons. Their names were Snap, Crackle, and…what?
Answer

David.

71. A woman named Margaret has four different daughters, and each of those daughters has a brother. How many children total does Margaret have?
Answer

Five. Every daughter has the exact same brother.

72. There was a horrific plane crash and every single person died. Who survived?
Answer

Everyone that was married.

73. Can you think of something with four eyes but is completely blind?
Answer

The word “Mississippi”.

74. Can you think of something that travels all over the planet but always stays in the exact same spot?
Answer

A postage stamp.

75. How many letters are there in the English alphabet?
Answer

15 – English has seven words and alphabet has eight.

76. There’s a word with six letters that leaves 12 behind when you take away one of them. What word is it?
Answer

Dozens.

77. Can you think of something that is completely full of holes but still hold onto a lot of water?
Answer

A sponge.

78. There’s a question that you can never answer yes to. Do you know what it is?
Answer

Are you asleep yet?

79. If everything goes wrong, completely sideways, what is something you can always count on?
Answer

Your fingers and your toes!

80. Can you think of something that is always right in front of you but can never be seen or held?
Answer

The future.

81. Do you know where you can find cities and countries, towns and shops, roads and lakes, but absolutely no people whatsoever?
Answer

On a map.

82. Do you know why ghosts and spirits make such terrible liars?
Answer

Because it’s easy to see right through them!

83. Imagine this for a second. You’re in a room and the walls are closing in, the floor is opening up beneath you, and water is pouring in from the ceiling.

There are no windows and no doors to escape. How do you get out?
Answer

Stop imagining.

84. Can you name the two things you can NEVER have for breakfast?
Answer

Lunch or dinner.

85. If you through a blue stone or a green stone into the Red Sea, what will they become?
Answer

Soaking wet.

86. What is something people bite to eat but then never actually eat in the first place?
Answer

Silverware and plates.

87. Can you think of something you can serve but shouldn’t ever eat?
Answer

A volleyball.

88. Can you think of something you can always catch but won’t ever be able to throw?
Answer

The flu.

trick questions

89. Do you know what goes up and down every minute of every day but never actually moves?
Answer

The temperature.

90. Can you think of something that starts with P and ends with E but has thousands of letters in it?
Answer

Postal Office.

91. If Mr. Orange lives in a blue house, Mr. Yellow lives in a green house, and Mr. Red lives in a purple house who lives in the White House?
Answer

The president.

92. In a one-story house that was colored blue there lived a pink person, a green dog, a yellow fish, a purple computer, a silver chair, a gold table, and an invisible telephone. What color were the stairs?
Answer

There aren’t any.

93. Can you think of something that gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
Answer

A towel.

94. Can you think of something that goes all around the woods but never actually goes into the wood at all?
Answer

Tree bark.

95. If you see an electric train headed east at 70 an hour but there is a wind blowing in from the west at 80 miles an hour, which way is the smoke from the train going to blow?
Answer

Electric trains don’t have smoke.

96. I am filled with keys but have no locks. I have space but there are no extra rooms. Sure, you can enter but there is absolutely no exit. What am I?
Answer

A keyboard.

97. Can you think of something that’s as light as a feather but even the world’s strongest human couldn’t hold it for any longer than a minute?
Answer

Your breath.

98. Can you think of something that runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but will never weep, and has a bed but will never sleep?
Answer

A river.

99. Do you know the name of the invention that lets you look instantly right through any wall you want?
Answer

A window.

100. Megan’s mother has five different daughters. One’s name is Peggy, one’s name is Donna, one’s name is Betty, another is named Joan. What’s the name of the fifth daughter?
Answer

Megan.

101. If a plane crashed on the border of England and Scotland, where would they bury the survivors?
Answer

You don’t bury survivors.

102. Twelve pears hanging high, twelve men passing by, each took a pear and left eleven hanging there. How can this be? How can eleven pears be left?
Answer

‘Each’ is a man’s name!

103. If there’s a frog, dead in the center of a lily pad which is right in the middle of the pond, which side would it jump to?
Answer

Neither, the frog is dead!

104. You’re a bus driver. At the first stop 4 people get on. At the second stop 8 people get on, at the third stop 2 people get off and, at the forth stop everyone got off.

The question is what color are the bus driver’s eyes?
Answer

The same as yours, you’re the bus driver.

105. What never gets any wetter, no matter how much it rains?
Answer

The sea

106. A man went outside in the pouring rain with no protection, but not a hair on his head got wet…how come?
Answer

He was bald.

107. David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle and _____?
Answer

David

108. What has a mouth but doesn’t eat? A bank with no money? A bed but doesn’t sleep – and waves but has no hands?
Answer

A river

109. A cowboy rode to an inn on Friday. He stayed two nights and left on Friday. How could that be?
Answer

His horse was called Friday

110. If the red house is on the right side and if the blue house is on the left side where’s the white house?
Answer

Washington DC

111. What two words, when combined hold the most letters?
Answer

Post Office

trick questions

112. What word when written in capital letters is the same backwards, frontwards & upside down?
Answer

NOON

113. What the exact middle of America?
Answer

The letter “r”

114. What gets wetter & wetter the more it dries?
Answer

A towel

115. How far can a dog run into the woods?
Answer

Halfway-when it gets there, he’s on his way ‘out’.

116. In baseball, how may outs are there in an inning?
Answer

Six-each team has three

117. Ten copycats were sitting in a boat. One jumped out. How many were left?
Answer

None—they were ‘copycats’So they all jumped out!

118. What’s the longest word in the English language?
Answer

sMILEs—Because there’s a mile between the beginning and the end

119. If there are three apples & you took away two, how many do you have?
Answer

Two—because YOU took two.

120. There was a red bungalow. Everything in it was red – the walls, the carpets, the furniture.What color were the stairs?
Answer

There weren’t any stairs. It was a bungalow!

121. What is Rupert the Bear’s middle name?
Answer

The!

122. What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer

A coin!

123. If the red house is on the right side and if the blue house is on the left side where’s the white house?
Answer

In Washington DC

124. How can you make the letters in NEW DOOR, make one word?
Answer

ONE WORD!

125. What happened in 1961 and will not happen again until 6009?
Answer

The year will again be the same upside down

126. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
Answer

Mt. Everest was still the highest mountain-even BEFORE it was discovered

127. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Answer

Dinosaurs laid eggs long before there were chickens!

128. How could the 22nd and 24th U.S. Presidents have the same parents, but weren’t brothers?
Answer

Grover Ceveland was elected twice to become the 22nd and 24th President.

129. Name the most recent year in which New Year’s preceded Christmas.
Answer

This year, New Year always precceds Chrismas of the same year.

130. If you had only one match, and entered a dark room containing an oil lamp, some newspaper, and some kindling wood, which would you light first?
Answer

The match

trick questions

131. If Mr Smith’s peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones’ yard, who owns the egg?
Answer

No one. Peacocks don’t lay eggs; peahens do.

132. Why are 1968 pennies worth more than 1967 pennies?
Answer

Because 1998 pennies are one more than 1997 pennies

133. Start with three coins: a penny, a nickel and a quarter. Say, “Tommy’s mother has three children.

The first child’s name is Penny.” (Hold up the penny while saying this.) “The second child’s name is Nick.” (Hold up the nickel.) What is the third child’s name? (Hold up the quarter.)
Answer

Tommy

134. How long did the Hundred Years War last?
Answer

116 years

135. Which country makes Panama hats?
Answer

Ecuador

136. From which animal do we get catgut?
Answer

Sheep and horses

137. What color is the black box on a commercial airplane?
Answer

Orange of course

138. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
Answer

November

139. What is a camel’s hair brush made of?
Answer

Squirrel fur

140. The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
Answer

Dogs

141. What was King George VI’s first name?
Answer

Albert

142. What color is a purple finch?
Answer

Crimson

143. Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
Answer

New Zealand

144. I am full of keys, but I cannot open any door. What am I?
Answer

A Piano

145. I am full of holes, but I can still hold a lot of water. What am I?
Answer

A Sponge

146. The more you take away from me, the larger I become. What am I?
Answer

A Hole

147. I have hands, but I cannot clap. What am I?
Answer

A Clock

148. You can catch me, but you can’t throw me. What am I?
Answer

A Cold

149. I come down, but I never go up. What am I?
Answer

Rain

150. I am a ball that can be rolled but never bounced or thrown. What am I?
Answer

An Eyeball

151. Fill me up with hot or cold. Put anything in me and I will make sure I’ll hold. What am I?
Answer

A Cup

trick questions

152. If it takes 8 men 4 hours to build a wall. How much time will it take 4 men?
Answer

Nothing. As the wall is already built

153. You can easily see me in the past, and actively create me in the present. But the future is a mystery to me too. What am I?
Answer

History

154. How can you go 30 days straight without sleep?
Answer

Easy, just sleep at night

155. How do you make the number one disappear?
Answer

Just add a G and it’s Gone!

156. If you sit a cup on a table facing south, and you are sitting at the north side. at which side of the cup is the handle?
Answer

Outside

157. What always sleeps with his shoes on?
Answer

A horse

158. I have many teeth but I can’t eat anything. What am I?
Answer

A comb

159. What bird can lift the most weight in the world?
Answer

A Crane

160. What tree you can actually carry in your hand?
Answer

A Palm tree

161. You throw me out when you need me the most, but take me back in when you’re done using me. What am I?
Answer

An Anchor

162. He has married many women but never been married. Who is he?
Answer

A Priest

163. People make me, save me, give me away, what am I?
Answer

Money

164. What goes through cities, fields but never moves?
Answer

A road

165. The day before yesterday I was 21. Next year I will turn 24. When is my birthday?
Answer

December 31. Today is Jan 1

Closing Thoughts

We hope that you had as much fun with these trick questions, what am I riddles, and mind puzzles for kids as we have had.

There’s no better way to stretch the minds of young people than by challenging them with fun puzzles, quizzes, and trick questions. Help them think a little harder and tap deeper and deeper into their creativity.

Try a couple of these out on the young ones in your life and see just how much fun they have trying to figure them out!

trick questions