Math Riddles for Kids
These math riddles with answers turn numbers into a game. Most are easy number riddles for kids, and the sneakier ones come with hints so nobody gets stuck for long. Guess out loud first, then tap to check.
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1. I'm a number that looks exactly the same when you turn me upside down. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Try writing some numbers and spinning the paper.
Show answer
8. Flip it over and it's still an 8. Zero works too!
An 8 stays an 8 when flipped, since its two loops mirror top and bottom.
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2. There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck, and one duck in the middle. What's the smallest number of ducks this could be? Medium
Need a hint?
Line them up single file.
Show answer
Three ducks walking in a line. The first has two behind it, the last has two in front, and the middle one is in the middle.
Line three ducks single file so the front, back, and middle roles overlap on the same birds.
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3. There are 3 apples in a bowl and you take away 2. How many apples do you have? Medium
Need a hint?
The question asks what YOU have, not what's left in the bowl.
Show answer
2. You took them, so you have them!
The two you take away become yours, so you personally hold 2 apples.
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4. I'm greater than 5 but less than 7. What number am I? Easy
Show answer
6.
The only whole number between 5 and 7 is 6.
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5. How many sides does a circle have? Medium
Need a hint?
It's a silly answer, not a geometry answer.
Show answer
Two: the inside and the outside.
It is a joke answer that counts the inside and the outside as two sides.
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6. I have 4 sides that are all exactly the same length. What shape am I? Easy
Show answer
A square.
Four equal sides with equal angles describe a square.
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7. Add me to myself and you get 10. What number am I? Easy
Show answer
5, because 5 + 5 = 10.
A number added to itself gives 10, so half of 10 is 5.
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8. Count the legs: two dogs and one bird go for a walk. How many legs in total? Easy
Need a hint?
Dogs have 4 legs, birds have 2.
Show answer
10 legs. Each dog has 4, so that's 8, plus 2 for the bird.
Two dogs give 4 plus 4 equals 8 legs, plus the bird's 2 makes 10.
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9. What did one math book say to the other math book? Medium
Show answer
I've got so many problems.
It puns on math problems, since a textbook is full of problems to solve.
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10. Mary's dad has five daughters: Nana, Nene, Nini, and Nono. What's the fifth daughter's name? Medium
Need a hint?
Don't guess Nunu. Read the question again.
Show answer
Mary! The riddle told you her name in the very first word.
Mary is one of the five daughters, named in the opening word before the trick list.
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11. How many fingers are there on ten hands? Easy
Need a hint?
Count one hand first, then multiply.
Show answer
50, because 10 hands times 5 fingers is 50.
Ten hands times 5 fingers each equals 50 fingers.
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12. What number comes right after 9,999? Easy
Show answer
10,000.
Adding one to 9,999 rolls it over to 10,000.
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13. Seven crows sit on a fence. A loud dog scares one away. How many crows are left on the fence? Medium
Need a hint?
Crows don't wait around to be counted.
Show answer
None. When one flew off, the noise scared all the others away too.
The loud dog sends every crow flying, so none stay to be counted.
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14. I'm a shape with exactly 3 sides and 3 corners. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A triangle.
Three sides and three corners define a triangle.
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15. If two is company and three is a crowd, what are four and five? Easy
Need a hint?
Stop thinking about people and just add.
Show answer
Nine, because 4 + 5 = 9.
Ignore the people setup and just add 4 plus 5 to get 9.
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16. What time is it when an elephant sits on your alarm clock? Medium
Show answer
Time to get a new clock.
It is a joke answer, since the elephant would crush the clock flat.
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17. How many seconds are there in one year? Hard
Need a hint?
Think about dates, not clocks.
Show answer
Twelve! January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd, and so on.
Counting the 2nd of each month gives twelve by wordplay, not clock seconds.
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18. I have a face but no eyes and hands but no arms, and numbers live all around my edge. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A clock.
A clock has a face and hands, with numbers ringing its edge.
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19. Which number sounds like it already had dinner? Easy
Show answer
Eight. It sounds just like 'ate'.
Eight sounds like 'ate', the word for having finished a meal.
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20. Cut me in half and I become nothing at all. What number am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Cut sideways, not up and down.
Show answer
8. Slice it across the middle and you get two zeros.
Slicing an 8 across the middle splits it into two zeros, meaning nothing.
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21. Ten birds are sitting in a tree and half of them fly away. How many are left? Easy
Show answer
5, because half of 10 is 5.
Half of 10 birds is 5, so 5 remain in the tree.
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22. Which number has exactly the same number of letters as its value? Medium
Need a hint?
Spell some small numbers and count the letters.
Show answer
Four. F-O-U-R is 4 letters long.
The word four has four letters, matching its own value exactly.
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23. What did the zero say to the eight? Medium
Need a hint?
Look at the middle of the 8.
Show answer
Nice belt!
An 8 looks like a 0 wearing a belt around its middle.
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24. How many apples grow on an apple tree? Medium
Need a hint?
It's a trick. Where else would they grow?
Show answer
All of them. Every apple grows on a tree!
It is a trick, since apples only grow on trees, so all of them do.
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25. What's a math teacher's favorite season of the year? Medium
Show answer
SUM-mer.
Summer hides the word sum, a math teacher's favorite operation.
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26. I'm a coin, and two of me together make ten cents. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Half of ten cents.
Show answer
A nickel. Each one is worth 5 cents.
Two nickels worth 5 cents each add up to 10 cents.
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27. You bake 6 cookies, eat 2, and give 2 to a friend. How many cookies are left? Easy
6 minus 2 minus 2 leaves 2 cookies. Guard them well.
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28. What is double of half of 10? Easy
Half of 10 is 5, and double of 5 is right back to 10.
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29. Sam is 8 and his sister is half his age. When Sam turns 10, how old will his sister be? Medium
She's 4 now, which is 4 years younger. She'll always be 4 years behind, so she'll be 6.
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30. You have ten fingers. If you don't count the thumbs, how many fingers are left? Easy
Two thumbs come off the count, leaving 8 fingers.
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31. If yesterday was Monday, what day is tomorrow? Medium
Yesterday was Monday, so today is Tuesday, and tomorrow is Wednesday.
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32. What is seven plus seven divided by seven? Careful: do the division first! Medium
Show answer
8
Divide first, so 7 divided by 7 is 1, then add 7 to reach 8.
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33. Take the number of days in a week and add the number of legs on a cat. What do you get? Easy
Show answer
11
Seven days in a week plus four legs on a cat equals 11.
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34. Count by fives: 5, 10, 15... what comes next? Easy
Show answer
20
Adding 5 to 15 continues the pattern and lands on 20.
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35. How many corners does a cube have? Picture a dice in your hand. Medium
Show answer
8
A cube has 8 corners, one where each set of edges meets.
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36. A square is also a rectangle. Medium
A rectangle needs four right angles, and a square has them. It's just a rectangle whose sides all match.
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37. How many months of the year have 28 days in them? Medium
Show answer
All twelve of them. Every month has at least 28 days.
Every one of the twelve months contains at least 28 days.
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38. I'm an odd number. Take away one letter and I turn even. What number am I? Medium
Show answer
Seven. Take away the s and you get 'even'.
Take the s off seven and you are left with the word even.
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39. I have 6 straight sides and 6 corners. What shape am I? Easy
Show answer
A hexagon.
Six straight sides and six corners make a hexagon.
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40. A pizza is cut into 4 equal slices and you eat just 1. How much of the pizza is left? Easy
Show answer
Three quarters.
Eating one of four equal slices leaves three quarters behind.
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41. You cut a cookie in half, then cut one of those halves in half again. What is that smallest piece called? Easy
Show answer
A quarter.
Halving a cookie, then halving one half, yields a quarter piece.
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42. Count by tens: 70, 80, 90... what number comes next? Easy
Show answer
100.
Adding 10 to 90 continues the count and reaches 100.
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43. The big hand on a clock goes only halfway around. How many minutes is that? Medium
Show answer
30 minutes.
Halfway around is 30 of the 60 minutes in a full clock turn.
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44. One side of a domino shows 4 dots and the other side shows 3 dots. How many dots in all? Easy
Show answer
7 dots.
Adding the two domino sides, 4 plus 3, gives 7 dots.
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45. You carry a carton of 12 eggs, drop it, and exactly 3 crack. How many eggs are still whole? Easy
Show answer
9 eggs.
Twelve eggs minus the 3 cracked leaves 9 still whole.
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46. Which weighs more: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks? Medium
Show answer
Neither. A pound is a pound, so they weigh exactly the same.
Both are one pound, so they weigh the same regardless of material.
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47. A spider has 8 legs. How many legs do two spiders have altogether? Easy
Show answer
16 legs.
Two spiders at 8 legs each combine to 16 legs.
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48. You're running a race and you zoom past the runner in second place. What place are you in now? Medium
Show answer
Second place. You took their spot, not first.
Passing the second place runner puts you in their spot, second, not first.
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49. Add me to 10 and the 10 doesn't change one bit. What number am I? Easy
Show answer
Zero. Adding zero changes nothing.
Zero is the only number that adds to 10 without changing it.
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50. There are 3 bicycles parked in a row. How many wheels are there in total? Easy
Show answer
6 wheels. Each bike has 2.
Three bicycles with 2 wheels each total 6 wheels.
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51. The baker hands you a dozen muffins. How many muffins is that? Easy
Show answer
12 muffins.
A dozen always means 12, so that is 12 muffins.
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52. I'm the very biggest number you can write using just one single digit. What number am I? Easy
Show answer
9.
Single digits go up to 9, the biggest one you can write.
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53. I'm thinking of a number. Double it and you land right on a dozen. What number am I? Medium
Show answer
6, because 6 doubled is 12, and a dozen is 12.
A dozen is 12, so the number you double must be half of 12, which is 6.
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54. Multiply me by myself and I turn into 9. What number am I? Medium
Show answer
3, because 3 times 3 is 9.
The number times itself equals 9, and 3 times 3 makes 9.
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55. A shape has 5 straight sides and 5 corners. What do we call it? Medium
Show answer
A pentagon.
Five straight sides and five corners describe a pentagon.
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56. Why is the number 6 always so scared of the number 7? Hard
Show answer
Because 7 8 9, which sounds like seven ate nine.
It puns on 7, 8, 9, since eight sounds like the word ate, so seven ate nine.
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57. You hold two coins that add up to 30 cents, and one of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins? Hard
Show answer
A quarter and a nickel. The quarter is the one that isn't a nickel.
The quarter is the coin that is not a nickel, and 25 plus 5 makes 30 cents.
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58. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 wander off. How many sheep are left? Hard
Show answer
9 sheep.
All but 9 means every sheep except 9 leaves, so 9 stay behind.
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59. What do you call a number that just can't sit still and keeps roaming around? Hard
Show answer
A Roman numeral.
It puns on roaming, since a Roman numeral sounds like a roamin' numeral.
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60. When you spell it out, this number has all its letters in alphabetical order. Which number is it? Hard
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40, spelled forty. F, O, R, T, Y climb in order.
The letters f, o, r, t, y of forty appear in alphabetical order, which no other number word does.
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61. Follow the doubling: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16... what number comes next? Hard
Show answer
32.
Each number doubles the one before, so 16 doubled is 32.
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62. Here's a sneaky pattern: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8... what number comes next? Hard
Show answer
13.
Each number is the two before it added together, and 5 plus 8 is 13.
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63. If a rooster sits on the very top of a barn roof and lays an egg, which way does the egg roll? Hard
Show answer
Neither way. Roosters don't lay eggs, only hens do.
Roosters never lay eggs, so there is no egg to roll at all.
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64. I'm a two-digit number. My tens digit is double my ones digit, and my two digits add up to 6. What am I? Hard
Show answer
42.
In 42 the tens digit 4 is double the ones digit 2, and 4 plus 2 makes 6.
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65. Find me: I'm an even number between 10 and 20, and my two digits add up to 5. What number am I? Hard
Show answer
14.
14 is even, sits between 10 and 20, and 1 plus 4 equals 5.
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66. Two single-digit numbers multiply to make 12 and add up to make 7. Which two numbers are they? Hard
Show answer
3 and 4.
3 times 4 is 12 and 3 plus 4 is 7, so the numbers are 3 and 4.
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67. In the classroom I measure your lines, and I'm also a word that means king. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A ruler.
A ruler measures lines and also means a king, so the one word does both jobs.
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68. Add up every number from 1 to 5. What total do you reach? Hard
Show answer
15.
1 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 plus 5 adds up to 15.
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69. I'm a sneaky number. Multiply me by any number at all, big or small, and the answer is always me. What number am I? Hard
Show answer
0.
Anything multiplied by zero is zero, so the answer is always zero itself.
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70. A palindrome number reads the same forwards and backwards. What's the first one you reach after 99? Hard
Show answer
101.
101 reads the same left to right and right to left, and it is the next one after 99.
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71. How many times can you subtract 2 from the number 10? Hard
Show answer
Once, because after that you're subtracting from 8, not from 10.
After the first subtraction the number becomes 8, so you only take 2 from 10 one time.
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72. There are 5 fish swimming in a bowl and 2 of them drown. How many fish are left? Hard
Show answer
5 fish. Fish breathe underwater, so they can't drown.
Fish cannot drown in water, so all 5 are still swimming.
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73. In Roman numerals, the letter X stands for which number? Hard
Show answer
10.
The Roman numeral X has always stood for the number 10.
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74. Add any two odd numbers together. Is the answer going to be odd or even? Hard
Show answer
Even.
Two odd numbers always pair up with none left over, so the total is even.
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75. Today is Friday the 13th. What was the date on the Friday exactly one week before? Hard
Show answer
The 6th.
One week is 7 days, and 13 minus 7 is 6, so it was the 6th.
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76. You split 100 stickers evenly among 4 friends. How many does each friend get? Hard
Show answer
25 stickers.
100 shared equally by 4 friends is 25 for each one.
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77. Which is worth more money: 100 pennies or 10 dimes? Hard
Show answer
Neither. Both add up to exactly one dollar.
100 pennies make a dollar and 10 dimes make a dollar, so they are equal.
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78. I'm a two-digit number made of two round digits, and I look the same when you flip me upside down. What am I? Hard
Show answer
88.
Both 8s stay 8s when flipped, so 88 reads the same upside down.
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79. If one dozen is 12, how many is double a dozen? Hard
Show answer
24.
A dozen is 12, and doubling 12 gives 24.
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80. One triangle has 3 corners. How many corners do 3 triangles have altogether? Hard
Show answer
9 corners.
Each triangle has 3 corners, and 3 times 3 is 9.
Easy math riddles for kids to start
Friendly openers about upside down numbers, ducks in a row, and apples in a bowl. Counting fingers is officially allowed.
Number riddles with answers and hints
The middle of the deck gets sneakier with shapes, ages, and word tricks. Hints wait on the tougher cards, and every answer is a tap away.
Type-in math problems and multiple choice checks
Ten cards ask kids to type a number or pick an option and get graded instantly. Skip counting, cube corners, and one true or false surprise.
Your score
FAQ about Math Riddles for Kids
What age are these math riddles for?
Roughly ages 6 to 11. Younger kids will breeze through the counting riddles, while the sneaky wordplay ones give upper elementary students a genuine workout.
Do kids need paper and pencil to solve them?
No. Every riddle here can be solved in your head or on your fingers, which is the point. The type-in cards only ask for a single number, not any written working.
Are answers and hints included?
Yes. Every riddle reveals its answer on tap, and the trickier ones carry a hint so kids can get a nudge before giving up. The quiz cards score each guess right away.
Ready for more number fun? Keep the momentum going with these math brain teasers for young thinkers, then switch things up with our playful picture word rebus puzzles for kids.