Halloween is the most fun of all the holidays. When else can you dress up in a costume and demand free candy? Beyond blasting the "Monster Mash," there are so many festive ways to celebrate, from pumpkin carving to making the cutest Halloween snacks. But in between DIYing a costume and practicing your "Thriller" dance, you might need a little downtime that isn’t watching the best fall movies. That’s what Halloween riddles are for!

These brainteasers aren’t too ghoulishly hard, but they may still ensnare your mind like a witch’s spell. They’re perfect for Halloween parties, waiting in line at a haunted house, or even while you walk around to trick or treat. Pair them with some Halloween jokes, and you’ll be sure to tickle any skeleton’s funny bone!

halloween riddles quote card

Brainteaser-style Halloween riddles


I'm a ball, but I can't be kicked, thrown or tossed. What am I?

Answer: An eyeball.


I have no feet to dance,
I have no eyes to see,
I have no life to live or die,
yet I do all three.
What am I?

Answer: Fire.


I have 13 hearts but no other organs. What am I?

Answer: A deck of cards.


The more you take, the more of me there are. What am I?

Answer: Footsteps.


With piercing force, I dole out fate
Over bloodless victims, I proclaim my might
I can eternally join with a single bite.
What am I?

Answer: Dracula, or a stapler.


I am different sizes, shapes and colors.
Many can see my veins.
I don’t go inside.
The trees are where I reside.
If I fall to the ground, I will surely die.
What am I?

Answer: A leaf.


Who makes it, has no need for it.
Whoever buys it won’t use it.
Who uses it, won’t care.
What am I?

      Answer: A casket.


      I protect, I stand tall
      my purpose is to strike fear in all.
      What am I?

      Answer: A scarecrow.


      You’re in a room and there’s a ghost in the room, but you are the only one in the room. How is this possible?

      Answer: You are the ghost.


      Each morning I appear to lie at your feet. All day I will follow no matter how fast you run, yet I nearly perish in the midday sun.

      Answer: Your shadow.


      Two girls ate dinner together.
      They both ordered iced tea.
      One girl drank them very fast and had finished five in the time it took the other to drink just one.
      The girl who drank one died while the other survived.
      All of the drinks were poisoned.
      How is that possible?

      Answer: The poison was in the ice.


      Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it you die. What is it?

      Answer: Nothing.


      I have a body, arms, legs and a head, but I’m heartless and have no guts. What am I?

      Answer: A skeleton.


      I’m tall when I’m young, I’m short when I’m old, and once a year, I make heavy pumpkins light. What am I?

      Answer: A candle.


      Look in my face, I am somebody. Look in my back, I am nobody. What am I?

      Answer: A mirror.


      A man was shot in the heart. Nobody tries to save him and it doesn’t kill him. What happened?

      Answer: He was already dead.

      halloween riddles


      Funny Halloween riddles

      Why don’t mummies take vacations?

      Answer: They’re afraid they’ll relax and unwind.


      What is wicked, homeless, white and goes up and down?

      Answer: A ghost in an elevator.


      I have hundreds of ears, but I can’t hear a thing. What am I?

      Answer: A cornfield.


      What's the problem with twin witches?

      Answer: You never know which witch is which.


      Dracula loves to draw this, as well as put it in the bank. What is it?

      Answer: Blood.


      Why are there fences around cemeteries?

      Answer: Because people are dying to get in.

      Halloween riddles inspired by movies and books

      Frankenstein’s father has three sons. The names of two of them are Snap and Crackle. What is the third son called?

      Answer: Frankenstein.


      Oz had good ones from the north and south
      And wicked ones from the east and west,
      But flying around on a broomstick
      Is probably how I’m known the best.
      What am I?

      Answer: A witch.


      Often buried with fabulous wealth
      I'm often called wrapped up in myself.
      What am I?

      Answer: A mummy.


      Headshot of Lizz Schumer
      Lizz Schumer
      Senior Editor
      Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping, where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. A journalist for almost two decades, she is the author of Biography of a Body and Buffalo Steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction at the Muse Writing Center, and coaches with the New York Writing Room.