Five Brilliant Brain Teasers For The Week

Looking to give your brain a mid-week stretch or challenge your friends with clever riddles? This collection of five brilliant brain teasers covers all levels—whether you're warming up or going full Sherlock Holmes. Ready to put your thinking cap on?

🧠 1. The Missing Dollar Riddle (Easy)

Three friends check into a hotel room that costs $30. They each contribute $10. Later, the hotel realizes the room only costs $25 and sends a bellboy to return $5. The bellboy, unable to divide it evenly, gives each guest $1 back and keeps $2 for himself. Now, each guest paid $9 (totalling $27), and the bellboy kept $2. That adds up to $29… Where did the missing dollar go?

🧠 2. What Am I? (Easy)

I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?

🧩 3. The Family Riddle (Moderate)

A woman has six sons. Each son has one sister. How many children does the woman have?

🧩 4. The Clock Hands Puzzle (Moderate)

At what time between 3:00 and 4:00 will the hour and minute hands of a clock form a straight line (but not on top of each other)?

🧠💥 5. The Hardest One: The Island of Truth and Lies (Hard)

You're on an island where some inhabitants always tell the truth, and others always lie. You meet two islanders: A and B.

A says: “Either I am a liar or B is a liar.”

Who is the liar?

Scroll down when you're ready for the answers...

✅ Answers

1. The Missing Dollar Riddle

There is no missing dollar. The riddle misleads you by adding things that shouldn't be added. The guests paid $27 — $25 went to the hotel, $2 to the bellboy. You're not supposed to add the bellboy’s $2 to the $27; it’s already part of it. The math trick is a red herring!

2. What Am I?

An Echo. It repeats sounds but has no mouth or ears.

3. The Family Riddle

Seven children. The six sons all share one sister. So it's 6 boys + 1 girl = 7 kids total.

4. The Clock Hands Puzzle

The hands form a straight line at approximately 3:49 and 5⁄11 minutes (or 3:49.45). At that point, the minute and hour hands are exactly 180 degrees apart.

5. Island of Truth and Lies

A is telling the truth, B is the liar.

If A were a liar, the statement “Either I am a liar or B is a liar” would be true, which a liar can’t say. Therefore, A must be telling the truth, meaning B is the liar, and A is a truth-teller.

How many did you get right? Whether it’s 1 or all 5, your brain just got a solid workout!