Riddle: Which word is the odd one out: BAIL, FAIL, PAIL, RAIL, SAIL, TAIL?
Answer: FAIL is the odd one out because it does not have a homophone. BAIL has BALE (like a bale of hay), PAIL has PALE, SAIL has SALE, TAIL has TALE, and RAIL has RALE. FAIL has FALE, which is not a real word, and therefore cannot be a homophone.
Riddle: There are eight people waiting at a bus stop. When an empty bus approaches the stop, half of these people get in. Then, the bus goes to the second stop, where five people are waiting. Two of the people in the bus get out at this stop, while three of the people at this bus stop get in. Finally, the bus goes to the third stop, where seven people are waiting. None of these people get in, but all of the passengers currently in the bus get out. How many people are in the bus now?
Answer: There is one person left–the driver. You know that buses can't go without a driver, right?
Riddle: I have seven yellow pencils, seven red pencils, and seven blue pencils. I have to divide them into two groups; the first group has to have three fewer yellow pencils than the second group, the second group should have one more red pencil than the first group, and the first group should have five more blue pencils than the second group. How many blue pens would be in each pile?
Answer: Zero. I have seven blue PENCILS, not PENS.
Riddle: Anna was watching TV in her house when she heard someone knocking on her door. When the woman opened the door, she saw a suspicious-looking man who claimed to be her neighbor. The man became nervous and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was my house. I must have confused the houses,". Anna didn't believe it was just a mistake, and she called the police, saying that this man was a robber. How did Anna know?
Answer: If the man really thought that it was his house, he wouldn't have knocked on the door; he would've tried to open it with his keys. Knocking on the door is a technique used by criminals who want to break in and steal stuff.
Riddle: A man and a woman are talking to each other. One of them is a brunette, while the other person is blond. The brunette says, "I'm a lady,". And the blond person says, "I'm a gentleman,". Assuming that at least one person is lying, can you guess who's who?
Answer: If we suppose that only one person is lying, then the people would either be both ladies or both gentlemen, which contradicts the first statement. Therefore, both people lied; the woman has blond hair, while the man had brunette hair.
Riddle: Four citizens were accused of robbing a store. Suspect A says, "I didn't rob the store,". Suspect B says, "Suspect C robbed the store,". Suspect C says, "Suspect B is lying,". And Suspect D says, "Suspect A is telling the truth,". Only one suspect is telling the truth. Who robbed the store?
Answer: Suspect A robbed the store; Suspect C is telling the truth. If Suspect B was the thief, then A, C, and D would all be telling the truth. If Suspect C was the thief, then A, B, and D would all be telling the truth. If Suspect D was the thief, then Suspects A, C, and D would all be telling the truth again. Therefore, only Suspect A can be the thief.
Riddle: Charles called his wife to tell him that he would be home by 7:00. But when he arrived home three minutes past 7:00, his wife was furious! Why was she so mad?
Answer: Charles' wife expected him to arrive by 7:00PM, but he arrived at 7:03AM the next morning. Oh, the classic "I forgot about ante meridiem and post meridiem".
Riddle: One afternoon, Cara came home and found that her favorite vase had been shattered. The woman questioned her three kids—Ali, Gia, and Joe. Ali said, "It was Gia!". Gia kept silent, and so did Joe. Assuming that the culprit tells the truth, who shattered Cara's vase?
Answer: It was Joe. If Ali is telling the truth, then he's the culprit. But that would make Gia the culprit, too, which would then create a paradox. Therefore, Ali is lying, and Joe is the culprit by default.