Riddles in Spanish (Adivinanzas)
Adivinanzas are the classic riddles that Spanish-speaking families have traded for generations. Every riddle here appears in Spanish with an English translation in the hint or the answer, so learners can play along. These Spanish riddles with answers range from famous wordplay classics to easy ones for kids.
Classic adivinanzas every Spanish speaker knows
The page starts with the greatest hits, including Oro parece, plata no es. If you grew up with Spanish, these are the ones your abuela asked you.
Spanish riddles for learners: type the answer
A block of type-in adivinanzas follows, where you spell the Spanish answer yourself. Great vocabulary practice for students, with English translations backing you up.
Easy Spanish riddles for kids, quiz style
The closing multiple choice round includes buzzing bees, piano keys, and a quick vocabulary check on the word adivinanza itself. Friendly territory for young learners.
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1. Oro parece, plata no es. Quien no lo adivine, bien tonto es.
Need a hint?
In English: it looks like gold, silver it is not. The answer hides inside the words.
Show answer
El plátano (the banana). The trick: 'plata no' hides 'plátano'.
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2. Blanca por dentro, verde por fuera. Si quieres que te lo diga, espera.
Need a hint?
In English: white inside, green outside. If you want me to tell you, wait.
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La pera (the pear). 'Espera' hides 'es pera', meaning 'it is a pear'.
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3. Agua pasa por mi casa, cate de mi corazón.
Need a hint?
In English: water passes by my house. Join the first and last words.
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El aguacate (the avocado). 'Agua' plus 'cate' spells it out.
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4. Tengo agujas y no sé coser, tengo números y no sé leer.
Need a hint?
In English: I have needles but can't sew, I have numbers but can't read.
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El reloj (the clock). Its 'needles' are the hands.
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5. Una señorita muy aseñorada, que siempre está en casa y siempre está mojada.
Need a hint?
In English: a very proper little lady who never leaves the house and is always wet.
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La lengua (the tongue).
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6. Vuela sin alas, silba sin boca, pega sin manos y no se toca.
Need a hint?
In English: it flies without wings, whistles without a mouth, hits without hands, and can't be touched.
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El viento (the wind).
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7. Redondo, redondo, barril sin fondo.
Need a hint?
In English: round and round, a barrel with no bottom. You wear it on a finger.
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El anillo (the ring).
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8. Todos me pisan a mí, pero yo no piso a nadie.
Need a hint?
In English: everyone steps on me, but I step on no one.
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El suelo (the floor or the ground).
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9. Lana sube, lana baja.
Need a hint?
In English: wool goes up, wool goes down. Listen to the sound of the words.
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La navaja (the pocketknife). Say 'lana baja' fast and you hear 'la navaja'.
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10. Tengo ojos y no veo, y bajo tierra me quedo. ¿Qué soy?
Need a hint?
In English: I have eyes but cannot see, and I stay under the ground.
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La papa (the potato). Potatoes have 'eyes'.
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11. Salta y salta, y la colita le falta.
Need a hint?
In English: it jumps and jumps, and it's missing its little tail.
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La rana (the frog).
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12. Choco entre dos paredes, late mi corazón. Quien no sepa mi nombre no tiene atención.
Need a hint?
In English: I bump between two walls, my heart beats. Join the two key words.
Show answer
El chocolate. 'Choco' plus 'late' spells the answer.
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13. Es la reina de los mares, su dentadura es muy buena, y por no ir nunca vacía, siempre dice que va llena.
Need a hint?
In English: queen of the seas with fine teeth, never empty, always says she goes full.
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La ballena (the whale). 'Va llena' sounds like 'ballena'.
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14. Dos hermanas muy unidas que caminan al compás, con las piernas por delante y los ojos por detrás.
Need a hint?
In English: two close sisters walking in step, legs in front and eyes behind.
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Las tijeras (the scissors).
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15. Un convento muy cerrado, sin campanas y sin torres, con muchas monjitas dentro haciendo dulces de flores.
Need a hint?
In English: a closed convent with no bells or towers, full of little nuns making sweets from flowers.
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La colmena y las abejas (the beehive and its bees).
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16. Alto, alto como un pino, y pesa menos que un comino.
Need a hint?
In English: tall as a pine tree, yet lighter than a cumin seed.
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El humo (the smoke).
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17. Una cajita chiquita, blanca como la cal: todos la saben abrir, nadie la sabe cerrar.
Need a hint?
In English: a little white box everyone can open but no one can close.
Show answer
El huevo (the egg).
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18. Adivina quién soy: cuanto más lavo, más sucia voy.
Need a hint?
In English: guess who I am. The more I wash, the dirtier I get.
Show answer
El agua (the water). It gets dirty as it cleans.
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19. Tengo cabeza redonda, sin nariz, ojos ni frente, y mi cuerpo se compone tan solo de blancos dientes.
Need a hint?
In English: a round head with no nose, eyes, or forehead, and a body made only of white teeth.
Show answer
El ajo (the garlic). Its cloves are called 'teeth' in Spanish.
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20. No es cama ni es león, y desaparece en cualquier rincón.
Need a hint?
In English: it's not a bed (cama) and not a lion (león), and it vanishes in any corner.
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El camaleón (the chameleon). 'Cama' plus 'león'.
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21. Verde por fuera, roja por dentro, con bailarinas negras en el centro.
Need a hint?
In English: green outside, red inside, with little black dancers in the middle.
Show answer
La sandía (the watermelon). The 'black dancers' are the seeds.
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22. Sube llena y baja vacía, y si no sube pronto, la sopa se enfría.
Need a hint?
In English: it goes up full and comes down empty. If it's slow, the soup gets cold.
Show answer
La cuchara (the spoon).
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23. Tiene dientes y no come, tiene cabeza y no es hombre.
Need a hint?
In English: it has teeth but doesn't eat, and a head but is not a man.
Show answer
El peine (the comb).
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24. ¿Qué cosa es que cuanto más grande se hace, menos se ve?
Need a hint?
In English: what grows bigger the less you can see?
Show answer
La oscuridad (the darkness).
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25. Somos muchos hermanitos que en una sola casa vivimos. Si nos rascan la cabeza, al instante morimos.
Need a hint?
In English: many little brothers living in one house. Scratch our heads and we die at once.
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Los fósforos (the matches).
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26. Fui a la plaza y las compré bellas, llegué a mi casa y lloré con ellas.
Need a hint?
In English: I bought them looking beautiful at the market, and cried with them at home.
Show answer
Las cebollas (the onions).
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27. Blanca como la nieve, negra como la pez. Habla y no tiene boca, anda y no tiene pies.
Need a hint?
In English: white as snow, black as tar. It speaks without a mouth and travels without feet.
Show answer
La carta (the letter). White paper, black ink.
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28. Por un caminito va caminando un bicho, y el nombre del bicho ya te lo he dicho.
Need a hint?
In English: a creature walks down a little path, and I already told you its name. Listen to 'va caminando'.
Show answer
La vaca (the cow). 'Va caminando' hides 'vaca'.
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29. Y lo es, y lo es, y no lo adivinas en un mes. ¿Qué es?
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El hilo (the thread). 'Y lo' sounds like 'hilo'.
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30. Te la digo y no me entiendes, te la repito y no me comprendes. ¿Qué es?
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La tela (the cloth). 'Te la' sounds like 'tela'.
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31. Brillo en el cielo de noche, pero de día me escondo. ¿Qué soy?
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La estrella (the star)
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32. A veces soy redonda, a veces soy media, y a veces no me ves en el cielo. ¿Qué soy?
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La luna (the moon)
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33. Salgo cada mañana sin que nadie me llame, y doy luz y calor a todos por igual. ¿Qué soy?
Show answer
El sol (the sun)
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34. En verano barbudo y en invierno desnudo. ¿Qué es?
Show answer
El árbol (the tree). Leafy in summer, bare in winter.
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35. Tengo bigotes y digo miau. ¿Qué soy?
Show answer
El gato (the cat)
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36. Tengo cuatro patas y un respaldo, pero no puedo caminar. ¿Qué soy?
Show answer
La silla (the chair)
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37. Cien amigas tengo, todas sobre una tabla. Si no las tocas, no dicen nada. What are they?
A hundred friends on one board that say nothing unless you touch them: piano keys.
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38. Zumba que zumba, va de flor en flor, y fabrica algo dulce con mucho amor. Which animal is it?
It buzzes from flower to flower and makes something sweet: the bee, making honey.
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39. Quick vocabulary check: what does the Spanish word 'adivinanza' mean?
An adivinanza is a riddle, from the verb 'adivinar', to guess.
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40. Tiene corona y no es rey, tiene escamas y no es pez. ¿Qué es?
It wears a crown but isn't a king, and has scales but isn't a fish: the pineapple.
Your score
FAQ about Riddles in Spanish (Adivinanzas)
Do I need to speak Spanish to enjoy these riddles?
No. Every adivinanza includes an English translation in the hint or the answer, so beginners can follow the wordplay. Intermediate learners get the most out of it, since many answers hide inside the Spanish words themselves.
What is an adivinanza exactly?
Adivinanza is simply the Spanish word for riddle. The traditional ones are short rhyming verses passed down orally, and many hide the answer in their own sounds, like Oro parece, plata no es hinting at plátano.
Are these Spanish riddles good for classroom use?
Yes, they slot neatly into Spanish lessons. The rhyming classics train listening, the type-in riddles drill spelling and vocabulary, and the multiple choice round works as a fast warm-up quiz.
If the wordplay classics hooked you, meet their English cousins in our Famous and Classic Riddles collection, or keep it language-free with Emoji Riddles that anyone can solve.