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Can you give any example of riddles or puzzles in which the answers are someway "cleverly hidden" inside the question? I think that such examples are more common in word-related riddles, but maybe similar ones can be found also in numeric puzzles? Who knows?

I'm italian, and there's a very common riddle in italian language which says: "Nomina una parola qualunque contenente tre lettere U" (translated: "Name whatever word containing three 'U's "); the funny thing is that the italian word "QUALUNQUE" (a really really common word) is maybe one of the few actually containing three U letters...). That's what makes this riddle really clever and someway surprising when you reveal the answer...

So, do you know any other example in english language?

(Sorry if this is not a real riddle, but I think it can be interesting to discuss this topic)

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9 Answers 9

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I'll confess that I've always had a fondness for the Jester's riddle from Zork Zero:

"I once heard of a bookkeeper who, while working on the accounts of the Frobozz Magic Balloon Company, noted that the word 'balloon' has two double letters in a row! Stretching his limited imagination to the limit, this bookkeeper wondered if there were any words with THREE double letters in a row. He couldn't think of one -- but I'll bet that YOU can!"

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    $\begingroup$ This is a beautiful example of what my question was looking for! $\endgroup$
    – Hunter
    Commented Feb 1, 2016 at 13:31
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    $\begingroup$ Encyclopedia Brown fans will recognize that word with three sets of double letters immediately. $\endgroup$
    – Dan Russell
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:09
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This is more a puzzle than a riddle, but here's one:

There is a common 10 letter English word that can be written with just the top row on a typewriter. What is it?

Answer:

Typewriter!

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There are two examples in Games Magazine's The Book of Sense and Nonsense (at least I think that's where I saw them, I don't have a copy with me to double check).

What unusual word of seven letters has three U's?


Explain the meaning of this acronym: ETMOTA

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    $\begingroup$ Semi-obligatory XKCD: xkcd.com/917 $\endgroup$
    – Bailey M
    Commented Jun 8, 2015 at 15:54
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    $\begingroup$ @BaileyM - Dilbert once did something similar with The TTP Project ("TTP" of course, stands for "The TTP Project".) $\endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 17:46
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    $\begingroup$ Classic: What common word of ten letters is often mispelled? $\endgroup$
    – humn
    Commented Jan 30, 2016 at 10:23
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    $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman also GNU's not Unix. etc. There are quite a number of those if you head to software acronyms. $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 13:30
  • $\begingroup$ @Ian Talking about recursive acronyms? :) $\endgroup$
    – LinuxBlanket
    Commented Jul 13, 2018 at 10:20
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At least two of these statements are false. Ignoring grammar and wordplay, which?
a. Pigs is pigs.
b. One plus one is two.
c. Two plus two does not equal five.
d. Five and ten make fifteen.

List of false statements:

1. “At least two of these statements are false.”


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I've done this more than once in riddles posted on this site. For example, in this one

the answer appears at least once in every line and also in the title.

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Many of my own riddles have clues that are at least similar to the answer hidden acrostically (or something similar) inside the lines themselves.

For example:

Today is pain, and it has always been.
Run with passion, there lies our sin.

Unless forsaken, miserable we'll be.
Taught the path, then freed are we.

Here lies the freedom we all seek.

where the answer was

The Four Noble Truths found in Buddhism

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Here's one example of a riddle like that:

The riddle is hard but the answer is easy. Go north till you find yourself again. On the road of self-enlightenment, you only can trust yourself, finding answers. But what is the answer to this riddle?

Its answer:

Easy - You have to follow the riddle literally and don't interpret too much.

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  • $\begingroup$ "The answer is easy"? $\endgroup$
    – SlashmanX
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 13:50
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, that is correct $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:08
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    $\begingroup$ Honestly? This is not a good example of what I am looking for... ;) $\endgroup$
    – Hunter
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 16:10
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    $\begingroup$ @Hunter I interpret your question that way: Find a riddle that let you think about an answer but you should know it already since it was spelled out for you, you just failed to notice it. $\endgroup$
    – Zibelas
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 17:00
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    $\begingroup$ @Zibelas: though your question satisfies some of the "requirements" I'm looking for, IMHO it lacks a "touch of genius" which you can find in other examples on this page (in particular in this: puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/26019/12628). I think it's pretty easy creating a "puzzle" like the one you're proposing (there are many examples here on PuzzlingSE), while it's way more difficult creating a "brilliant question". $\endgroup$
    – Hunter
    Commented May 12, 2016 at 8:00
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First Answer (Riddle):

Here is a riddle I made up:

All Around the Park.

I am repelled by cricket when hit out of the park.
Discard the led, and what is by, to find my mark.
My number is found on a blanket in the park.
Bring some food, and a replacement, to find it at the start.
You have learnt about me, but not first at the park.
Eventually, my line meets from the curve of my arc.
Now look at the tallest and get rid of the eyes.
In a scramble, you will notice my shape in disguise.

The answer is achieved like this:

All Around the Park.

The answer is a circle. It is round and the following clues support it.

I am repelled by cricket when hit out of the park.
Discard the led, and what is by, to find my mark.

I am repelled by cricket when out of the park $\to$ I'm repel cricket when out of the park $\to$ circle written backwards.

A cricket ball (the shape of a circle) can be hit out of the ballpark.

My number is found on a blanket in the park.
Bring some food, and a replacement, to find it at the start.

Bring some food with a blanket in the park, and the replacement word of that scenario is a picnic.

The number pi $\pi$ is found at the start of the word.

You have learnt about me, but not first at the park.
Eventually, my line meets from the curve of my arc.

You are taught about circles at school (which contains two circles, funnily enough), and not at the park.

Circles also have a line (and only one) that meets its other end when drawn (due to its arc).

Now look at the tallest and get rid of the eyes.
In a scramble, you will notice my shape in disguise.

Look at the tallest letters; the capitals. Then, get rid of the $\verb|I|$s (the eyes).

You will have the letters $D,M,B,Y,E,N$ which you can scramble in order to write the words, $MY \ BEND$ which is the shape (or more particularly, "my shape", where shape $=$ bend) that a circle takes place in.

Although the word circle is not mentioned once in the above riddle, it is definitely cleverly hidden and written. Perhaps I could instead name the riddle as, "Going in Circles All Around the Park".

$$\LARGE\between$$

Second Answer (Math):

Here is a puzzle I made:

Suppose you constructed $m$ rows in the following way ($m,n$ are integers): $$\begin{align}&1,2,3,\ldots ,n \\ &n+1,\ldots , 2n \\ &2n+1,\ldots 3n\end{align}$$ $$\vdots$$ $$n(m-1)+1,\ldots, mn$$ In each row, you want to have an odd number of odd primes. If $m<13$, what prime number $n$ can you find that will form the highest possible prime value of $m$?

The answer is also hidden in the puzzle, but reveals itself a bit more...

A solution could be $4843$, but that is not prime (composite); $4843=29\times 167$ and therefore $m\neq 4843$. There are however two solutions, one of them being $m=165941$ (although that is greater than $13$), and the other one being the intended answer.

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    $\begingroup$ @downvoter I underwent a bit of effort to put this answer together. Thus I ask if you may please comment why you downvoted. Did I do something wrong or do you not like the answer? $\endgroup$
    – Mr Pie
    Commented Aug 27, 2018 at 21:29
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A car is driven with 30 mph. only "you" is sitting in it and no one else. car stopped and evryone in the car got out. what is the name of the person that got out ?

Answer: you

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