If you’re a middle school student who loves a good challenge, or a teacher looking for fun ways to get your class thinking, Ted-Ed Riddles for Middle School are just what you need.
These riddles aren’t just puzzles—they’re brain teasers that spark curiosity, boost critical thinking, and make learning exciting.
Imagine sitting with friends or classmates, trying to crack a tricky riddle together, laughing at the clever twists, and celebrating when someone finally figures it out.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most fun and thought-provoking Ted-Ed riddles designed especially for middle school minds like yours.
Let’s dive in!
Ted-Ed Logic Riddles for Middle School
- I am always in front of you but can’t be seen. What am I?
Answer: The future - The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Answer: Footsteps - I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. What am I?
Answer: An echo - I’m not alive, but I can grow. I don’t have lungs, yet I need air. What am I?
Answer: Fire - I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle - The more of me there is, the less you see. What am I?
Answer: Darkness - I have keys but no locks. What am I?
Answer: A piano - I can fly without wings and cry without eyes. What am I?
Answer: A cloud - I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for long. What am I?
Answer: Breath - I’m always moving but never tired. What am I?
Answer: Time - I have a head and a tail but no body. What am I?
Answer: A coin - The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
Answer: A hole - I’m full of holes but still hold water. What am I?
Answer: A sponge - I go up and down but never move. What am I?
Answer: Stairs - I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and rivers but no water. What am I?
Answer: A map
Ted-Ed Math Riddles for Middle School
- I am an odd number. Take away a letter, and I become even. What number am I?
Answer: Seven - Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
Answer: 70 - A bat and a ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much is the ball?
Answer: $0.05 - I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five more than my ones digit, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What am I?
Answer: 194 - If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Answer: Nine - What is half of two plus two?
Answer: Three - I am a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives the same number. What am I?
Answer: 1 - How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?
Answer: Once - I am the smallest number divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. What am I?
Answer: 60 - I have three brothers. One is North, one is South, one is East. Who am I?
Answer: West - If you multiply me by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What number am I?
Answer: 0 - I am a two-digit number. The tens digit is double the ones digit. The sum of both digits is 12. What number am I?
Answer: 84 - I am a number. If you add me to myself and then multiply by 4, you get 64. What am I?
Answer: 4 - I am a three-digit number. My digits add up to 9, and my hundreds digit is 1. What am I?
Answer: 117 - I am a number between 50 and 100. When you divide me by 7, the remainder is 1. What number am I?
Answer: 57
Ted-Ed Word Riddles for Middle School
- What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book - The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
Answer: A hole - I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
Answer: A joke - What has a head, a tail, but no body?
Answer: A coin - I am tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle - I start with “e” and end with “e” but contain only one letter. What am I?
Answer: An envelope - I have many keys but open no doors. What am I?
Answer: A piano - What has an eye but cannot see?
Answer: A needle - I’m taken before you get it. What am I?
Answer: A photograph - I’m always in front of you but cannot be seen. What am I?
Answer: The future - I’m a word that becomes shorter when you add two letters. What am I?
Answer: Short - I’m a five-letter word and I become shorter when you add two letters. What am I?
Answer: Short - I can travel around the world while staying in a corner. What am I?
Answer: A stamp - I can be cracked, played, told, and made. What am I?
Answer: A joke - I have one eye but can’t see. What am I?
Answer: A needle
Ted-Ed Nature Riddles for Middle School
- I’m always running but I never move. What am I?
Answer: A river - I’m full of life but cannot move. What am I?
Answer: A tree - The more of me there is, the less you see. What am I?
Answer: Fog - I’m invisible, yet you can feel me. What am I?
Answer: Wind - I shine in the sky during the day, but I’m not the moon. What am I?
Answer: The sun - I’m wet but never drowned. What am I?
Answer: Water - I have roots but no soil. What am I?
Answer: A tooth - I fly without wings and cry without eyes. What am I?
Answer: A cloud - I’m round and bright at night. What am I?
Answer: The moon - I change my color and shape with the seasons. What am I?
Answer: A leaf - I fall from the sky in winter and melt in spring. What am I?
Answer: Snow - I am the smallest part of water, yet I can form oceans. What am I?
Answer: A drop - I move slowly but leave a shiny trail. What am I?
Answer: A snail - I have a crown but no king. What am I?
Answer: A tree - I can roar but have no mouth. What am I?
Answer: A waterfall
Ted-Ed Brain Teaser Riddles for Middle School
- I’m always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?
Answer: Fire - I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?
Answer: A map - The more you take from me, the bigger I get. What am I?
Answer: A hole - I have many teeth but cannot bite. What am I?
Answer: A comb - I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
Answer: A joke - I am not alive, but I can grow; I don’t have lungs, but I need air. What am I?
Answer: Fire - I have a neck but no head. What am I?
Answer: A bottle - I’m light as a feather, yet no one can hold me for long. What am I?
Answer: Breath - The more you take away from me, the more I become. What am I?
Answer: A hole - I go up but never come down. What am I?
Answer: Age - I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, rivers but no water. What am I?
Answer: A map - I fly without wings, I cry without eyes. What am I?
Answer: A cloud - I’m often followed but never touched. What am I?
Answer: A shadow - I’m always moving but never walk. What am I?
Answer: Time - I can fill a room but take up no space. What am I?
Answer: Light
Ted-Ed Funny Riddles for Middle School
- What has hands but cannot clap?
Answer: A clock - Why did the math book look sad?
Answer: Because it had too many problems - What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin - Why did the student eat his homework?
Answer: Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake - I’m always hungry and must be fed, yet I never drink water. What am I?
Answer: Fire - Why did the computer go to the doctor?
Answer: It caught a virus - What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
Answer: A stamp - Why was six afraid of seven?
Answer: Because seven eight nine - What has many teeth but cannot bite?
Answer: A comb - I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle - Why did the scarecrow win an award?
Answer: Because he was outstanding in his field - What goes up but never comes down?
Answer: Age - What is full of holes but still holds water?
Answer: A sponge - Why did the student bring a ladder to school?
Answer: To reach high grades - What has one eye but cannot see?
Answer: A needle
Ted-Ed Creative Thinking Riddles for Middle School
- I have keys but no locks. What am I?
Answer: A piano - What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
Answer: A teapot - I am always in front of you but cannot be seen. What am I?
Answer: The future - I have branches but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I?
Answer: A bank - What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg - I go all around the world but always stay in a corner. What am I?
Answer: A stamp - The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Answer: Footsteps - I can be cracked, told, played, and made. What am I?
Answer: A joke - I am a number you can’t touch or see, but I make calculations possible. What am I?
Answer: Zero - I have a spine but no bones. What am I?
Answer: A book - I can be long or short, can be grown or bought, and am worn on the head. What am I?
Answer: Hair - I can go up and down without moving. What am I?
Answer: A staircase - I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. What am I?
Answer: An echo - I am taken from a mine and shut in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?
Answer: Pencil lead - I have a ring but no finger. What am I?
Answer: A telephone
Conclusion
These Ted-Ed riddles for middle school are an exciting way to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity in students.
From logic and math challenges to funny and nature-based riddles, each one engages young minds and sparks curiosity.
Using these riddles in classrooms, at home, or during online learning ensures students stay engaged while having fun learning to think outside the box.
The creator behind Riddlezilla.com specializes in crafting fun, smart, and engaging riddles for readers who love a good brain challenge. Dedicated to delivering fresh and creative puzzle content every day.
