Fall Riddles
Hi! I am Ollie. Welcome to Riddle Kingdom!
Every riddle here is also a level in the Kingdom. Solve them on the map, keep your lives, earn stars and raise a landmark with each one. Good luck, and have fun!
PLAY
Pumpkins, leaf piles, scarecrows, and one very chatty turkey. These fall riddles for kids and adults cover the whole season, and every card hides its answer until you tap. Teachers love autumn riddles with answers for morning warmups, and this page prints cleanly for the classroom.
Browse all the puzzles on this page ▾
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1. I fall all autumn long, but I never get hurt. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A leaf.
Leaves literally fall in autumn and cannot feel pain, so falling without hurt names it.
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2. I'm covered in ears, but I can't hear a thing. Farmers pick me before the frost. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Corn.
Corn grows on ears that cannot hear, a classic pun on the word ears.
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3. I stand in a field all day with my arms stretched out, and the birds think I'm very rude. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A scarecrow.
Standing in a field with outstretched arms to scare birds describes a scarecrow exactly.
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4. I'm orange, round, and full of seeds. Carve me a face and I'll grin all night. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A pumpkin.
Orange, round, seed-filled, and carved with a grinning face plainly points to a pumpkin.
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5. In a little brown cap I drop from a tree, and a squirrel would trade its tail for me. What am I? Easy
Show answer
An acorn.
A brown-capped nut dropping from a tree that squirrels crave is an acorn.
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6. I have lots of teeth, but I never bite. Every autumn weekend, I finally earn my keep. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A rake.
Many teeth but no bite plus autumn leaf duty describes a garden rake.
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7. I can be red, green, or gold, and at fall parties people dunk their whole face in water just to grab me. What am I? Easy
Show answer
An apple.
Red, green, or gold fruit that people bob for in water is an apple.
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8. I'm grass that got a haircut and rolled itself into bed. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A hay bale.
Cut grass rolled up like going to bed is a playful image for a hay bale.
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9. I bury my treasure all over the yard but never draw a map, so I forget half of it by spring. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A squirrel.
Burying food across the yard and forgetting it by spring is squirrel behavior.
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10. You can hear me and feel me, and in fall you can even see what I carry, but you can never see me. What am I? Medium
Show answer
The wind.
Heard and felt but never seen, carrying leaves in fall, describes the invisible wind.
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11. I hibernate in a drawer all summer, then hug you every day in October. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A sweater.
Stored away in summer and hugging you warm in October fits a sweater.
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12. I'm a puzzle you walk through, with walls you could technically eat. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A corn maze.
A walk-through puzzle with edible walls of corn describes a corn maze.
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13. I'm a cloud that overslept and never left the ground. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Fog.
A ground-hugging cloud that overslept is a friendly description of fog.
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14. Overnight I paint every lawn white, but the morning sun always steals my artwork. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Frost.
Overnight white lawn paint that the sun melts away describes morning frost.
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15. I look like a tiny wooden pineapple, and I guard a whole forest under my scales. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Pine trees drop me in autumn.
Show answer
A pinecone.
A scaly wooden pineapple shape guarding forest seeds, with a pine hint, is a pinecone.
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16. I'm apple juice that dressed up warm for the season. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Apple cider.
Apple juice dressed up warm for the season is warm apple cider.
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17. Every fall we write one giant letter in the sky and fly it south. What are we? Medium
Show answer
Geese in a V formation.
Writing a giant letter in the sky flying south describes geese in a V.
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18. I ask the same question all night long, but I never stick around for the answer. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Whooo would know?
Show answer
An owl.
Asking whoo all night and never waiting is the owl's endless question, per hint.
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19. Every November I get cut into pieces, and nobody calls the police. Pumpkin is my favorite flavor. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A pie.
Cut into pieces legally with pumpkin flavor in November points to a pie.
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20. In autumn I undress, and in spring I get dressed again. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A tree.
Undressing in autumn and re-dressing in spring describes a tree losing and regaining leaves.
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21. What's the only season you can throw? Easy
Show answer
Fall.
Fall is the season name that doubles as the verb to throw or drop.
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22. Kids love to dive into me, even though I'm basically a tree's laundry pile. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A pile of leaves.
A dive-in tree's laundry pile is a playful clue for a pile of leaves.
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23. We wait by the door all summer, then march through every puddle in fall. What are we? Easy
Show answer
Rain boots.
Waiting by the door then marching through puddles in fall names rain boots.
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24. I'm the biggest lantern at the harvest, but nobody can carve me. What am I? Medium
Show answer
The harvest moon.
The biggest uncarvable lantern at harvest time is the glowing harvest moon.
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25. Which bird does all the talking in November but says only one word? Easy
Show answer
A turkey. Gobble, gobble.
The November bird saying one word, gobble, is clearly a turkey.
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26. I eat all fall so I can skip every dinner in winter. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A bear getting ready to hibernate.
Eating all fall to skip winter meals describes a bear preparing to hibernate.
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27. I'm big and yellow and I come back every September, but I'm not a falling leaf. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A school bus.
Big and yellow returning every September, not a leaf, is a school bus.
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28. On the branch I wear spiky armor, but by the fire I'm everyone's favorite snack. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A chestnut.
Spiky armor on the branch but a roasted fireside snack describes a chestnut.
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29. Every fall weekend I fly through the air in a big crowd's view, but I'm not a bird or a leaf. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A football.
Flying through the air before a crowd in fall, not bird or leaf, is a football.
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30. On fall afternoons I stretch out long and lazy, I copy everything you do, and I never say a word. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Your shadow.
Stretching long, copying you, and staying silent describes your own shadow.
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31. When the sky starts crying, I bloom like a flower held upside down. What am I? Medium
Show answer
An umbrella.
Blooming like an upside-down flower when it rains describes an opening umbrella.
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32. The colder the October nights get, the more layers of me appear on your bed. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Blankets.
More layers piling on the bed as October nights cool are blankets.
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33. One November night, everyone steals an hour of sleep back from me. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A clock. That's the night clocks fall back.
Stealing back an hour on the fall-back night points to a clock, as stated.
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34. I have a cap but no head, and I pop up in the woods after autumn rain. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A mushroom.
A cap without a head popping up after autumn rain describes a mushroom.
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35. I look like a pumpkin's odd little cousin, and every fall I get invited onto your porch. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A gourd.
A pumpkin's odd cousin invited onto the porch each fall is a gourd.
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36. I'm a warm snake that wraps around your neck all autumn and never bites. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A scarf.
A warm neck-wrapping snake that never bites is a cozy scarf.
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37. Why do leaves actually change color in the fall? Medium
The yellows and oranges were there all along. When chlorophyll production shuts down, the green mask fades away.
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38. A squirrel buries 12 acorns, digs up half of them, then buries 3 more. How many acorns are underground now? Medium
12 minus 6 leaves 6 underground, plus 3 new ones makes 9.
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39. In the northern hemisphere, which month does fall officially begin? Easy
The autumn equinox lands on September 22 or 23 most years.
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40. You rake 5 piles of leaves in the front yard and 4 piles in the back, then combine them all. How many piles do you have? Medium
Combine them all and you've got one giant pile. And a sore back.
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41. Which of these does NOT happen during fall? Easy
Daylight shrinks all season until the winter solstice.
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42. An apple tree holds 20 apples. You pick 5, the wind knocks down 3, and a deer eats 2 right off the branch. How many are still on the tree? Medium
20 minus 5 minus 3 minus 2 leaves 10 apples hanging on.
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43. I'm the star of pies and porches every October. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A pumpkin
Star of pies and porches every October is the pumpkin to type in.
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44. What do oak trees drop in fall that squirrels hoard for winter? Easy
Show answer
Acorns
Oak-dropped nuts that squirrels hoard for winter are acorns to type in.
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45. Fall has a fancier name, the one used in Britain. What is it? Easy
Show answer
Autumn
The British fancier name for fall is autumn, the required typed answer.
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46. Evergreen trees drop all their needles every fall, just like maples drop leaves. Medium
Evergreens shed a few old needles at a time and stay green all winter. That's the whole point of the name.
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47. The harvest moon is the full moon closest to the fall equinox. Medium
Its early-evening light traditionally helped farmers keep harvesting after sunset.
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48. Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is a fruit. Medium
It grows from a flower and carries seeds, which makes it a fruit. A berry, in fact.
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49. 🎃 + 🥧 Easy
Need a hint?
The smell of November.
Show answer
Pumpkin pie (pumpkin + pie).
Pumpkin emoji plus pie emoji combine directly into pumpkin pie.
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50. 🌽 + 🌀 Medium
Need a hint?
Easy to enter, hard to leave.
Show answer
A corn maze (corn + a twisty swirl of paths).
Corn emoji plus a swirl of twisty paths adds up to a corn maze.
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51. I'm a cup of comfort that warms cold hands, no beans and no leaves, just melted sweetness swirled with steam. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Hot chocolate.
A warm sweet drink made from melted chocolate, not coffee beans or tea leaves, is hot chocolate.
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52. We come as a matching pair to keep ten fingers cozy once the air turns crisp. What are we? Medium
Show answer
Gloves.
A matching pair worn to warm all ten fingers in cool weather describes gloves.
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53. Farmers pile me high with the harvest, a horn that spills out fruit and grain instead of a sound. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A cornucopia.
A horn-shaped basket overflowing with harvest fruit and grain is a cornucopia.
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54. I rumble through the field at harvest, swallowing rows of grain whole and spitting out the straw. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A combine harvester.
The big machine that cuts and threshes grain across a harvest field is a combine harvester.
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55. When the weather turns cold I go down, and though I carry a bulb I never give off any light. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A thermometer.
A device whose reading drops in cold weather and has a bulb of liquid, not a lightbulb, is a thermometer.
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56. I start the summer green, but by harvest a whole field of me turns gold and bows low in the wind. I'm no leaf and no coin. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Wheat.
A grain crop that ripens from green to gold and sways in the harvest wind is wheat.
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57. I'm a squash shaped like a peanut or a bell, sweet enough to melt into a creamy autumn soup. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A butternut squash.
A bell or peanut shaped sweet squash famous for fall soup is butternut squash.
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58. This morning I was just a plain fruit, but tonight I'm carved, hollow, and grinning with a candle inside. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A jack-o-lantern.
A pumpkin carved hollow with a face and a candle inside becomes a jack-o-lantern.
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59. I'm the only mammal that truly flies, I come out after dark in October, and I hang upside down to sleep. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A bat.
The only flying mammal, active at night and roosting upside down, is a bat.
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60. I spin a sticky trap between the fence posts overnight, and on a frosty morning it glitters like spun glass. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A spiderweb.
A sticky overnight trap that sparkles with frost between posts is a spiderweb.
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61. I'm a candy shaped like a tiny striped triangle, and I turn up in every bowl at Halloween whether folks like me or not. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Candy corn.
A small tri-striped triangular Halloween candy is candy corn.
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62. I'm an apple that took a swim in melted sugar and came out on a stick. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A caramel apple.
An apple dipped in caramel and served on a stick is a caramel apple.
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63. Two people tug me apart after the November feast, and whoever grabs the bigger piece gets a wish. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A wishbone.
The forked turkey bone two people pull for luck after the feast is the wishbone.
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64. I'm a warm brown river that only ever flows across a mountain of mashed potatoes. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Gravy.
A warm brown sauce poured over mashed potatoes at the feast is gravy.
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65. I bounce along on a wagon behind a slow tractor, so bring a blanket and hold on. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A hayride.
A bumpy wagon ride pulled by a tractor over hay and fields is a hayride.
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66. I'm the leaf that lends my name to a breakfast syrup and a whole country's flag. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A maple leaf.
The leaf shared by pancake syrup and Canada's flag is the maple leaf.
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67. I drip out of a tapped tree back in spring, but boiled down thick I sweeten your fall pancakes. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Maple syrup.
Boiled-down sap from a tapped maple that tops pancakes is maple syrup.
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68. I'm a small red berry that farmers bounce to see if I'm fresh, and I end up as a tart sauce beside the turkey. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A cranberry.
A tart red berry tested by bouncing and served as feast-day sauce is a cranberry.
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69. I'm the spice that makes autumn smell like autumn, and funnily enough I'm really just a curled-up strip of bark. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Cinnamon.
The warm autumn spice that is actually rolled tree bark is cinnamon.
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70. I'm a stack of logs that becomes a tower of light and warmth on a cold fall night, and marshmallows are afraid of me. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A bonfire.
A big outdoor stack of burning logs that toasts marshmallows on a chilly night is a bonfire.
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71. I'm soft and white until you toast me golden over the flames, then I get squished between chocolate and two crackers. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A marshmallow.
A soft white treat toasted over fire and pressed into a s'more is a marshmallow.
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72. I used to be plain bread, but every November I give that up to live inside a turkey. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Stuffing.
Seasoned bread cooked inside the holiday turkey is stuffing.
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73. I'm the tall tower on the farm where the grain sleeps safe and dry all winter long. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A silo.
The tall cylindrical farm tower that stores grain for winter is a silo.
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74. Twice a year I make day and night shake hands as equals, and my autumn visit is the exact moment fall begins. What am I? Hard
Show answer
The autumn equinox.
The day when daylight and darkness are equal and fall officially starts is the autumn equinox.
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75. I'm not a ghost, but on a cold fall morning I'm the little white cloud that drifts out when you exhale. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Your breath.
The visible white puff you exhale in cold air is your breath turning to mist.
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76. I'm the fuzzy little worm folks study every autumn to guess how rough the coming winter will be. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A woolly bear caterpillar.
The fuzzy banded caterpillar used in folklore to predict winter is the woolly bear.
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77. Every fall millions of us flutter thousands of miles down to Mexico, orange and black like the leaves we drift past. What are we? Hard
Show answer
Monarch butterflies.
Orange-and-black insects that migrate south to Mexico each fall are monarch butterflies.
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78. I balance on one wheel and two legs, and I haul your pumpkins and leaf piles clear across the yard. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A wheelbarrow.
A one-wheeled two-legged cart for hauling yard loads is a wheelbarrow.
Easy fall riddles for kids
Falling leaves, corn on the cob, cozy sweaters, and a scarecrow with terrible manners. The gentle ones are perfect for early readers who love shouting the answer.
Autumn riddles for the classroom
Fifty riddles is enough for one a day through most of October and November. Post one each morning and let the class vote before you reveal it.
Tricky autumn stumpers, quizzes, and emoji puzzles
Sprinkled through the list are multiple choice questions, true or false facts like whether a pumpkin is a fruit, and a couple of emoji puzzles to decode.
Your score
FAQ about Fall Riddles
Are these fall riddles for kids or adults?
Both. The bulk of the riddles suit kids from about age six, while the wordplay and the true or false facts give adults something to chew on. Nothing here is scary or off-color.
Can I use these autumn riddles in class?
That is exactly what they are for. Teachers use them as morning warmups, early finisher challenges, or a fall party game. The page prints cleanly if you want paper copies.
Do all the riddles come with answers?
Yes. Every card keeps its answer hidden until you tap it, so you can quiz a group without spoiling anything. The quiz-style cards check your answer on the spot.
If you love the crisp autumn vibe, keep the season going with our cozy collection of Thanksgiving riddles for the whole family. And when you are ready to switch things up, put your wordplay skills to the test with our picture-based rebus puzzles.