Start your kids off with this funny riddle: What kind of bee can spell? A spelling bee! You'll find 45 riddles below, each with two hints and an answer you can keep hidden while they guess. Read them aloud or print the cards for your classroom.
Read these aloud to your youngest riddle fans. The answers play with animal sounds and familiar food words.
What kind of bee can spell?
Bees buzz, but this one is a contest.
Kids stand up and say the letters of a word out loud.
A spelling bee
Why it works: A spelling bee is a contest where kids spell words, and a bee is also an insect.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a dinosaur that is fast asleep?
Its name mixes a dinosaur word with a sleepy noise.
Think of the noise you make when you sleep with your mouth open.
A dino-snore
Why it works: Dino-snore mixes dinosaur with snore, the noise people make when they sleep.
Did you guess it?
What kind of hair does the ocean have?
Think about what the sea does when the wind blows.
Your hair can look this way when it curls up and down.
Wavy
Why it works: The ocean has waves, and wavy hair has curls that look like waves.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a dog on the beach in the summer?
It is a funny name for a puppy that is panting in the sun.
You can also eat one in a bun.
A hot dog
Why it works: A hot dog is a sausage in a bun, and also a funny name for a dog that is too warm.
Did you guess it?
What do cows read every morning?
Grown-ups read it to learn the daily news.
It sounds like a paper word, but it starts with a cow sound.
The moo-spaper
Why it works: Moo-spaper swaps the 'new' in newspaper for a cow's 'moo'.
Did you guess it?
Why did the teddy bear skip dessert?
Think about what fills a soft toy.
The same word means too full to eat another bite.
It was already stuffed
Why it works: Stuffed means filled with soft material and also very full after eating.
Did you guess it?
What looks like a fluffy sheep sailing across the sky?
Look up on a day with patches of blue.
It is a white shape made of tiny water droplets.
A cloud
Why it works: A fluffy white cloud can look like a sheep in the sky.
Did you guess it?
Why do fish live in salt water?
Salt has a partner that sits next to it on the dinner table.
That partner can tickle your nose and make you go achoo.
Because pepper makes them sneeze
Why it works: Salt and pepper usually go together, and pepper can make people sneeze.
Did you guess it?
What is a cat's favorite dessert?
It is cold and sweet and comes in a cone.
Cats like to chase small animals that squeak.
Mice cream
Why it works: Mice cream sounds like ice cream, and cats chase mice.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a sheep that does ballet?
A dancer who spins on her tiptoes.
Sheep say baa.
A baa-llerina
Why it works: Baa-llerina swaps the first part of ballerina for the sound a sheep makes.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a pile of kittens?
It sounds like a big hill that you could climb.
Kittens say meow.
A meow-ntain
Why it works: Meow-ntain mixes meow with mountain, which is a big pile of rock.
Did you guess it?
I have a neck but no head. I hold your juice or milk. What am I?
I often have a cap on top.
You can drink from me.
A bottle
Why it works: The narrow top of a bottle is called its neck, but a bottle has no head.
Did you guess it?
Why did the egg never tell jokes at breakfast?
Think about what happens to a fragile shell.
The same two-word phrase can mean laughing very hard.
It might crack up
Why it works: An egg cracks when it breaks, and to crack up means to burst out laughing.
Did you guess it?
What kind of music do bunnies like best?
Think about how rabbits move.
The name sounds like two jumpy bunny words.
Hip hop
Why it works: Bunnies hop, so the music style hip hop is a funny fit for them.
Did you guess it?
Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Think about what falls off a cookie when you bite it.
Another word for feeling bad sounds like that.
Because it felt crummy
Why it works: Crummy is a word for feeling bad, and it can also mean full of crumbs, like a cookie.
Did you guess it?
I have ears but I cannot hear. Farmers grow me in rows and I wear a green husk. What am I?
You can eat me when I am yellow and sweet.
You can eat me on the cob.
Corn
Why it works: A corn plant grows ears, which are the part you eat, but it cannot hear with them.
Did you guess it?
Read the answer aloud if the joke doesn't click. Listen for a familiar word hiding in the sound.
What do you call a fish with no eyes?
Think about the letters in the word fish.
Eye sounds like a letter. Take that letter out of the word fish.
A fsh
Why it works: Eye sounds like the letter i, so a fish with no i is spelled fsh.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a train with a cold?
Trains go choo-choo.
Add the sound of a sneeze to the front.
An achoo-choo train
Why it works: A sneeze sounds like achoo, and a train goes choo-choo.
Did you guess it?
Why did the kid take a ladder to school?
Think about what a ladder helps you reach.
Some schools are for older kids and have a very tall name.
Because she wanted to go to high school
Why it works: A ladder takes you up high, and a high school is a school for older kids.
Did you guess it?
Why do bees have sticky hair?
Think about what people use to brush their hair.
Bees make their honey in a wax home.
Because they use honeycombs
Why it works: A comb tidies hair, and bees store their honey in a honeycomb.
Did you guess it?
Why did the student eat his homework?
People say this about something that is very easy.
The teacher said it, and the student took it a bit too literally.
Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake
Why it works: A piece of cake is a saying for something easy, but the student took it literally and ate the homework.
Did you guess it?
What did the paper say to the pencil?
Think about what a pencil does on a page.
Make that action sound like an enthusiastic cheer meaning keep going.
Write on!
Why it works: Write on sounds like right on, a way to say well done, and a pencil writes on paper.
Did you guess it?
What kind of shoes are made from banana skins?
Think about what happens if you step on a banana peel.
You wear these inside the house.
Slippers
Why it works: A banana peel makes you slip, and slippers are shoes you wear indoors.
Did you guess it?
Why did the scarecrow get a prize?
A scarecrow stands in a farm field.
Outstanding means excellent, and it can also mean standing out.
Because he was outstanding in his field
Why it works: Outstanding means excellent, and a scarecrow is literally out standing in a field.
Did you guess it?
What did one eye say to the other eye?
Look in a mirror and see what sits between your two eyes.
It is the part of your face that you smell with.
Between you and me, something smells
Why it works: Your nose sits between your eyes, so something between them smells.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a bee that cannot make up its mind?
It is a buzzing insect that makes honey.
Say its name out loud and it sounds like a word for perhaps.
A maybee
Why it works: Maybee blends maybe, meaning perhaps, with bee, so it is a bee that cannot decide.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a boomerang that does not come back?
Think about what a boomerang is made from.
Dogs love to fetch me.
A stick
Why it works: A boomerang is meant to fly back to you. One that does not is just a stick you threw.
Did you guess it?
What do frogs wear on their feet in summer?
It is a kind of shoe that leaves your toes showing.
A toad is a froggy cousin.
Open-toad sandals
Why it works: Open-toad swaps toe for toad, a froglike animal, in open-toe sandals.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a lazy kangaroo?
A kangaroo carries its baby in a pouch.
A lazy person on a sofa is called a couch potato.
A pouch potato
Why it works: Pouch potato swaps couch for pouch, since a kangaroo has a pouch and a lazy person is a couch potato.
Did you guess it?
Which nut always sounds like it is sneezing?
It is a curved, buttery snack nut.
Say its name aloud and it sounds like a sneeze.
A cashew
Why it works: Cashew sounds like a sneeze, ca-shoo.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a fish wearing a bowtie?
A bowtie suggests someone elegant and worldly.
Put the name of the swimmer into a long word meaning cultured and stylish.
Sofishticated
Why it works: Sofishticated sounds like sophisticated with the word fish squeezed in.
Did you guess it?
Give your older kids time to untangle the double meanings. You don't have to guess every groaner to enjoy the joke.
Why did the math book look so sad?
Think about the exercises inside a math book.
Problems can also mean worries.
Because it had too many problems
Why it works: A math book is full of problems to solve, and problems also mean troubles.
Did you guess it?
Why do cows wear bells?
A car has one that goes honk.
Cows have horns on their heads, but they are not that kind.
Because their horns do not work
Why it works: A car horn honks, but the horns on a cow's head cannot make a sound, so a bell does the job.
Did you guess it?
Why can a leopard never win at hide and seek?
A leopard has marks all over its fur.
If someone finds you in hide and seek, they have caught sight of you.
Because it is always spotted
Why it works: Spotted means covered in spots, and it also means seen.
Did you guess it?
What did the ocean say to the beach?
Think about what the ocean does all day.
You do this with your hand to say hello.
Nothing, it just waved
Why it works: The ocean makes waves, and people wave to say hello.
Did you guess it?
What is a computer's favorite snack?
Computers have tiny parts called micro-things inside.
People eat a crunchy, salty version with sandwiches.
Microchips
Why it works: Microchips are computer parts, and chips are also a crunchy snack.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a belt made out of watches?
Think of something that uses up minutes for no good reason.
A belt goes around your middle.
A waist of time
Why it works: A belt sits on your waist, and waist of time sounds like waste of time.
Did you guess it?
Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants?
Think about the target a golfer aims for.
A perfect first shot sounds like damage to one item of clothing.
In case he got a hole in one
Why it works: A hole in one is a perfect golf shot, but a hole in your pants is not.
Did you guess it?
Why are fish so smart?
Fish swim together in big groups.
Kids go to the same kind of place to learn.
Because they live in schools
Why it works: A group of fish is called a school, and kids go to school to learn.
Did you guess it?
Why is the letter A like a flower?
Think about the next letter in the alphabet.
That letter sounds like a buzzing insect.
A bee comes after it
Why it works: The letter after A is B, which sounds like bee, and bees visit flowers.
Did you guess it?
What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?
A wall might get one.
It is spread on with a brush.
A coat of paint
Why it works: A coat can be a jacket or a layer of paint, and fresh paint is wet.
Did you guess it?
What do you get from a cow that has been given too much attention?
Cows make a white drink.
Spoiled can mean gone bad, but it also means treated far too nicely.
Spoiled milk
Why it works: A spoiled cow has been treated too nicely, and spoiled milk is milk that has gone bad.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a dinosaur that never gives up?
Think of a three-horned dinosaur.
Change the start of its name to a word that means 'give it a go'.
A try-ceratops
Why it works: Try-ceratops mixes triceratops with 'try' for a dinosaur that keeps trying.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a snake that works in a government office?
Think of people who do jobs for the public in offices.
Swap the last word of their job name for a slithering reptile.
A civil serpent
Why it works: A civil serpent plays on civil servant, a person who works for the government.
Did you guess it?
What do you call a factory that makes only okay products?
Think of a word for something that is fine but not great.
It hides the word for a place where things are made.
A satisfactory
Why it works: Satisfactory means okay, and it ends in the word factory.
Did you guess it?
No riddles match both filters. Try another age or difficulty.
Read the question slowly and wait for a guess. If your child needs help, open the first hint.
Ask your child to say a pun's answer aloud. For 'A spelling bee,' talk about the insect and the spelling contest.
Once you've revealed the answer, read 'Why it works' together. It explains the word or sound behind the joke.
To make your own, pick an animal and try a word that sounds like part of its name.
Print the cards without answers for a family or classroom game. Keep the answer key with you.
A funny riddle gives you a clue to its punchline. You'll often need to hear a word two ways; that's what the hints help you work out.
Start with the first group and read the questions aloud. The age bands are a rough guide. If your child doesn't hear the pun, say 'meow-ntain' slowly or talk about the two meanings of 'hot dog.'
If the pun doesn't click, open the hints in order, then read the answer and 'Why it works.' Try saying the answer slowly so your child can hear the word inside it.
Yes. You can print the cards without answers and keep a separate answer key. Each card has an age band, so it's easy to sort a set for your class.
Yes. You won't find violence, crude humor, romance, real people or brands in these riddles. The jokes use animals, food and everyday things.