Lateral thinking problems that require you to pay close attention to the exact wording of the problem.
1. A woman gave natural birth to two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same month of the same year. But they were not twins and she had no access to a time machine. How could this be?
They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets, etc.)
2. A man was driving alone in his car when he spun off the road at high speed. He crashed through a fence and bounced down a steep ravine before the car plunged into a fast flowing river. As the car slowly settled in the river, the man realized that his arm was broken and that he could not release his seat belt and get out of the car. The car sank to the bottom of the river. He was trapped in the car. Rescuers arrived two hours later, yet they found him still in the river, but alive. How come?
3. A police officer saw a truck driver clearly going the wrong way down a one-way street, but did not try to stop him. Why not?
The truck driver was not in reverse, nor was he in any particular emergency.
The truck driver was walking.
4. A man buys rice at $1 a pound from American growers and sells them at $0.05 a pound in India. As a result of this he becomes a millionaire. How come?
5. A New York city hairdresser recently said that he would rather cut the hair of three Canadians than that of one New Yorker. Why?
6. A man lives on the top floor of an apartment building. Every morning, he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. However, when he returns, he can only travel partway up in the elevator and has to walk the rest of the way, unless it's raining. What’s the explanation for this?
The man is short and can only reach the button for the halfway floor in the elevator. On rainy days, he uses his umbrella to press the button for the top floor, allowing him to ride all the way up.
8. You enter into a bus wherein there is no more seat vacant for any other passanger.However you enter and get the seat,after which the bus start moving.How you get the seat without disturbing any of the passanger?
You are the bus driver, which is why there is no vacant seat for any other passengers, and the bus starts moving after you enter.
9. What animal eats hay, has four legs and a tail, and can see equally well from both ends?
Perhaps it doesn’t actually see at all…
The animal is a blind horse. Because it is blind, it can’t see out of either end, so it "sees" equally well from both.
10. What's wrong with this American ad?
"Day after Thanksgiving sale! Big discounts! 30 to 70 percent off! One day only - Friday, November 30th! Hurry and save!"
The ad is misleading because it states that the sale is on 'Friday, November 30th,' which is incorrect; Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday of November, making the day after Thanksgiving fall on Friday, November 24th, not the 30th.
11. a man rode into town on friday. he stayed for three nights and then left on friday . how come.
The man rode into town on a horse named Friday. He stayed for three nights and then left town on the same horse, which is why he left on Friday.
12. Why does it take eight people 88 years to build 8 houses?
Because the builders are on Mercury, where a “year” is only 88 Earth days, so 88 Mercury years equal just 88 Earth days—about the time eight people would reasonably need to put up eight houses.
13. You have just been called to a murder at a mansion on 12th street, 9:00 AM, Sunday Morning. The owner of the house, Todd Brandy, was found murdered in his bedroom, a gun lay beside his head. At first investigators thought it was suicide, but there were no finger prints on the gun that matched his, or really any finger prints. You go to investigate the wife, who is currently sobbing in her lavish pajamas, a cup of tea in her shaking hand.
"Mam, i need to know were you were this morning." You ask her, breaking her out of her depression, and making her VERY angry.
"YOU THINK I KILLED HIM!? HE WAS MY HUSBAND FOR 8 YEARS!! IF YOU REALLY MUST KNOW I WAS EATING BREAKFAST WITH THE GIRLS IN OUR LITTLE, PRIVATE CAFE, 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD!" She screamed at you. You do some investigating and find out she actually was down the road at the little bed and breakfast, but you cant rule her out yet. You continue on to the house workers, and you find the butlers alibi.
"Sir, i was polishing, and cleaning his golf equipment for his big golf tournament tomorrow." He told you calmly, his snotty accent kicking in. You nod, he doesn't seem effected by his death, but why would the butler kill the man who apparently pays him $1000 a week! But there could be an affair happening, so no ruling him out. Next you question the maid. She swirls her blond hair impatiently, chewing on a piece of bubble gum. She certainly is....pretty.
"If your wondering, yes i had an affair with Todd, but i was getting the mail this morning, i couldn't have killed him when i love him, and i was 800 feet away from the house!" She pointed her middle finger at a small object threw the mirror , which apparently was the mailbox. She has a motive...sorta...but she claims she was 800 feet away from the house. Suspicious....Next you walk into the kitchen to see a very distressed man, his golden brown hair plastered to his forehead from sweat.
"Sir may i have your alibi?" I asked him handing him a glass of water that was set on the table.
"Yea, sure," he said out of breath, gulping down the glass. "I was here this morning cooking for the golf tournament, there was a big feast afterward. I was here slaving my butt off when the maid comes running down here screaming that Mr.Brandy was dead!"
"I see, I think I know the killer. Thank you for your time sir." You say rushed, as you run to the nearest cop with hand cuffs. "I know who the killer is, and the motive. Please arrest...."
Who did it, and what was there motive?
The killer is the maid. She claimed to be getting the mail, but since the murder occurred on a Sunday, the post office was closed, making her alibi invalid. Additionally, her affair with Todd Brandy could have provided a motive for jealousy or personal reasons. The absence of fingerprints on the gun suggests it was wiped clean, indicating premeditation.
14. two sons and two fathers are on a fishing trip. On the way home, they are in an accident and one of them dies. Now there are only two of them alive. How is this possible?
There are three individuals: a grandfather, his son, and his grandson. The grandfather and the father represent the two fathers, while the father and the grandson represent the two sons. When one of them dies, only two remain alive: the grandfather and the grandson.
15. It is World War II. A plane crashes in the no mans land between Germany and France. Where are the survivors buried?
The survivors of the plane crash are not buried because they are alive; the puzzle tricks you into thinking about the deceased, but only the dead would be buried.
16. A man senticed to death must choose between three doors to open and enter. The first one houses hungry lions waiting for thier next meal. The second door hold back deadly poison gas. The finale door drops into a bottomless pit. Which is the safest room?
The safest room is the first one with the hungry lions, as if they haven't eaten in a long time, they would be dead, making the room safe to enter.
17. what is that you can see with naked eye, seems to have no weight and yet the more of them you put in an empty container, the lighter the container becomes?
The answer is 'holes.' When you create holes in a container, it loses material and becomes lighter. Although holes are not tangible, they can be perceived visually, and adding more holes results in a lighter container.
18. What seven letter word becomes longer when the third letter is removed?
The seven-letter word is 'Lounger'. When you remove the third letter 'u', it becomes 'Longer', which is a word that means having greater length.
19. A man wanted to enter a CLUB
Every member knew the password,
The man was hidden besides the wall & tried to listen the pasword.
A member came, watchman said 'TWELVE'
Member replied 6,
Watchman opened door.
Another member came, watchman said 'SIX'
Member replied 3,
Watchman opened door.
Man thought he got d PASWORD
He went at door,
Watchman said 'EIGHT'
Man replied 4, Watchman din't opened door.
What was d PASSWORD?
The password is the number of letters in the word that the watchman says. For example, 'TWELVE' has 6 letters, and 'SIX' has 3 letters. When the watchman said 'EIGHT', the man incorrectly replied with 4 instead of the correct answer, which is 5, as 'EIGHT' has 5 letters.
20. A man wakes up in the middle of the night, looks out the window and sees it's raining. He makes a snack, turns out the light and goes back to bed. When he wakes the next day and looks out the window there are dead bodies everywhere. Why?
The man is a lighthouse keeper who turned off the light of the lighthouse, leading to a ship crashing on the rocks and resulting in the dead bodies of those on board.
22. A man has been murdered in his home, but the only living thing in his house at the time was his fish. He was found by his next door neighbour an hour later, she saw water and glass on the floor, the police were called and the murderer was found dead but they couldn't have arrested the murderer anyway. why not?
Answer
The fish tank fell off the shelf and hit him on the head and killed him, the murderer was the fish and the fish tank that Is why they couldn't arrest them! Comment if you got it!
The man was killed by the fish tank that fell off the shelf and struck him on the head. The murderer was found dead, so they couldn't arrest him. The fish, being a living creature, cannot be arrested, and the tank is considered the 'murderer' in a metaphorical sense.
23. What word becomes shorter when you add 2 letters to it?
The word 'short' becomes 'shorter' when you add the letters 'er' to it. This is a play on words, as 'shorter' is a comparative form of 'short,' making the word itself longer in spelling but indicating a shorter length.
24. Railroad crossing, watch out for cars, can you spell that without any R's?
You can spell 'that' without any R's. The puzzle plays on the expectation of spelling 'railroad' while the actual question is about the word 'that', which contains no R's.
25. If a man can walk a fortnight in 3 days. What is the name of the truck driver?
Friday
26. There are 3 things in front of you. One thing does not move. One only eats and you feed. Because if you do not feed it, it will die. Another goes away in front of you and never comes back. Now say what is in front of you?
A lit candle: the candle itself that stays still, its flame that must be fed, and the smoke that drifts away forever.
27. Two baby boys are delivered in the same hospital on the same Tuesday. They share the same mother, the same father, and even the same birthday and year. Yet the boys are not twins. How is this possible?
How many babies can be born in one pregnancy?
The boys are part of a set of triplets (or a larger multiple birth). Because there are at least three babies, any two of them are not considered twins even though they share the same parents and birthday.
28. How can you measure exactly 4 gallons of water using only a 5-gallon container and a 3-gallon container?
Fill the 5-gallon container.
Pour it into the 3-gallon container, leaving 2 gallons in the 5-gallon container.
Empty the 3-gallon container.
Transfer the 2 gallons from the 5-gallon container into the 3-gallon container.
Refill the 5-gallon container.
Pour water from the 5-gallon container into the 3-gallon container until the latter is full (it needs 1 gallon).
The 5-gallon container now contains exactly 4 gallons of water.
29. I am a five-letter word.
• I am normally below you.
• Remove my first letter and you will find me above you.
• Remove my first two letters and you can no longer see me.
What word am I?
After each letter you remove, the remaining letters still form a common English word.
The word is CHAIR.
CHAIR is usually below you.
Remove the first letter: HAIR is on top of your head, above you.
Remove the first two letters: AIR is invisible.
30. A boy wants to buy a pair of pants that costs $97. He borrows $50 from his father and another $50 from his mother, giving him $100 in total.
He pays the store $97 and receives $3 in change. He decides to keep $1 for himself and gives $1 back to each parent. Now he still owes his father $49 and his mother $49.
Adding the two debts we get 49 + 49 = $98. The boy also has $1 in his pocket, and 98 + 1 = $99. But he originally borrowed $100. Where did the missing dollar go?
Check whether the quantities you are adding belong on the same side of the ledger (debts vs. cash in hand vs. money already spent).
There is no missing dollar; the apparent discrepancy comes from adding amounts that should be compared instead.
The boy owes a total of $98 to his parents (49 + 49). The $97 he spent and the $1 he kept make up this $98: 97 + 1 = 98. The $3 in change was already split: $1 to himself and $1 to each parent. The correct accounting is:
The $97 (store) + $1 (boy) + $2 (parents) exactly equals the $100 originally borrowed. The mistaken calculation tries to add the boy's $1 to the $98 he still owes, mixing cash on hand with outstanding debt.
31. A gardener had 10 ash trees that he needed to plant so that each of the fences of his square plot would have three ash trees. How did he do it?
Consider that the ashes can be at the corners of the land.
The gardener planted 3 ash trees on each of the 4 sides of the square, but the corners are shared between two sides. Thus, by planting 1 ash tree in each corner, it is achieved that each side has 3 ash trees: 1 in each corner and 1 in the middle of each side.
32. When a girl left her father's house after marriage, she found a father-in-law. She left her mother and found a mother-in-law. When she left his brother, she found a brother-in-law. As like, when she left her sister, she found a sister-in-law. What did she leave when she found her husband?
Think about the relationship she has with her husband.
She left being single.
33. What can you hold in your right hand but not in your left?
Consider the limitations of your body.
Your left hand.
34. A woman shot her husband, took him into a dark room, held him under water, then hung him up to dry. After that, the woman and her husband went out to dinner. How is this possible?
Think about the meanings of the words used in the puzzle.
The woman is a photographer. She 'shot' her husband with a camera, developed the photo in a dark room, and then hung the photo up to dry.
35. Poor people have it rich people need it if you eat it you will die what is that?
Think about something that is not a physical object.
Nothing
36. What is it that when you take away the whole you still have some left over?
Think about the word itself and its components.
Some
37. In an aeroplane crash, every single person died, but two people survived. How is this possible?
Consider the meaning of the word 'single'.
The two survivors were a married couple.
38. A man was claimed that he was born in May although his birthday was in June, and that he grew up and legitimately married his mother. How could it be?
He first drew breath in a place named May, on a day in June, so he was literally “born in May” while his birthday is in June. Years later, after being ordained, he presided over his widowed mother’s new wedding; as the officiant he legally “married his mother.”
39. He is the son of my mother and father but never been my brother?
Consider the possibility of different familial relationships.
He is my son.
40. What is the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman?
Focus on what a snowman is traditionally built with.
The difference is snowballs.
41. Tell me a 7 lettered word if you remove one letter it remains same if you remove all the letters it remains same.
NOTHING
42. What is so fragile when saying its name it breaks
Think about the nature of the word itself.
Silence
43. A mute person might ask for a pair of scissors by miming the cutting action with his fingers.
Now consider a deaf person, how could he ask for a glass of water?
Think about which sense is impaired and which abilities remain unaffected.
The deaf person can simply say, “Water, please.” Deafness affects hearing, not the ability to speak.
44. What word can have the last four of its five letters removed and still be pronounced the same way?
Think about words that sound the same when shortened.
Queue
45. a man wanted to enter an exclusive club but did not know the password that was required. He waited by the door and listened. a club member knocked on the door and the doorman said "twelve". The member replied "six" and was let in. a second member came to the door and the doorman said "six". the member replied "three" and was let in. the man thought he had heard enough and walked up to the door, the doorman said "ten" and the man replied "five" but he was not let in. what should have he said?
Consider what the responses might be based on rather than the numbers themselves.
He should have said "three" because the answer corresponds to the number of letters in the word for the number the doorman said.
46. What can be seen in the middle of March and April that cannot be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Think about the letters in the names of the months.
The letter 'R'.
47. A rectangular hole measuring 3 × 3 × 6 (units are irrelevant) is dug in the ground. When the digging is finished, how much earth remains inside the hole?
Remember what makes a space a "hole" in the first place—what happened to the soil that used to occupy it?
None. By definition, a hole is an empty space created after the earth has been removed, so there is no earth left inside it.
48. Pretend you're a train driver. You go 2 miles and 5 people get on, then you go 2 miles, then 2 people get off. You go 7 miles, then 1 person gets on... what's the driver's name?
Think about who is being asked the question.
Your name is the driver's name.
49. A circus clown was famous for being the shortest clown in the world. His career depended entirely on his height. He was young, wealthy and healthy, except for the need to use a cane to walk. One morning, he was found dead in his trailer. The police noticed sawdust on the floor and concluded that he had been murdered. Why?
51. I am a 7-letter word. My letters 1-3 form a liquid; letters 3-6 form a pain; letters 5-7 form a girl; and letters 6-7 form an area in the hospital. What am I?
The answer is TEACHER:
123 = TEA (liquid)
3456 = ACHE (pain)
567 = HER (girl)
67 = ER (hospital Emergency Room)
52. Butter is at home, you come out, I come in. What is the result?
Take the word BUTTER (B U T T E R). Remove U (“you” comes out) and insert I (“I” comes in) to get B I T T E R, which spells “bitter.”
53. What is something that comes once a year, twice a month, four times a week, and six times a day?
The letter 'e' appears once in the word 'year', twice in 'month', four times in 'week', and six times in 'day'.
54. wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet wet
What well-known phrase does this represent?
Wet blanket. The word “wet” is repeated to form the shape of a blanket.
55. There are several ducks in a row:
-two at the front
-two at the back
-one in the middle.
How many dicks are there in total?
Three ducks, an unknown number of drakes.
Solution contributed by tartle.
56. Mary's mum has four kids, one of them is called March, another is called April, and another one is called May, what's the name of the fourth child?
Pay attention to the first part of the question.
Mary
57. There are 6 frogs in the well, 4 died. How many are there now?
Consider whether the dead frogs are still counted as part of the total.
There are still 6 frogs in the well, as the dead frogs are still present.
58. There are 12 men coming to a pear tree. There was 12 pears on the tree. Each took a pear and left 11 on the tree. How could there be 11?
The puzzle plays on the word 'each' in the phrase 'each took a pear.' The names of the men are 'Each,' 'One,' 'Two,' and so on, up to 'Twelve.' Therefore, when 'Each' took a pear, it refers to the man named 'Each,' leaving 11 pears on the tree.
59. A truck drove to a village and met four cars. How many vehicles were going to the village?
Consider the wording carefully.
Only the truck is going to the village; the cars are not specified to be going there.
60. Four drivers are in a vehicle with a single passenger. How can they all fit in the vehicle without breaking any rules?
Because the “drivers” are golf clubs, not people.
61. A man worked at a high security institution. The man tried to log into his computer and the computer denied the password. He then remembered that the passwords to the computers were reset every month for security reasons. He called his boss for his new password.
The man said, "Boss, my old password is out of date."
The boss said, "Yes, it is. The new password is different, but if you listen closely you will be able to figure out the new one. Your new password has the same number of letters as the old one, and four of the letters are the same."
The man then logged into his computer with no trouble.
The old password was:
outofdate
The new password was:
different
Why it works:
outofdate has 9 letters.
different also has 9 letters.
They share 4 letters: d, f, e, and t.
62. Dave went half way into the woods and finished in a half hour. Jason said that he walked 2/3 way into the woods in the same time. Dave said that is impossible. Why?
You can only walk half way into the woods. Once you have reached the center (the halfway point), any further steps you take will actually be taking you out of the woods. Therefore, walking "2/3 of the way into" the woods is logically impossible.
63. What has no weight but can be heavy?
The answer is "words." Words themselves have no physical weight, but they can be described as heavy when they carry strong meaning or emotional impact.
