# riddle

/ˈɹɪdəɫ/ (US) · /ɹˈɪdəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/riddle
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a puzzle

noun · CEFR B2

a question or statement that is difficult to understand and has a clever or funny answer.

For teachers: a verbal puzzle or enigmatic statement requiring ingenuity to solve.

- The children spent the afternoon asking each other riddles from a book.
- The sphinx of legend would only allow travellers to pass if they could solve a complex riddle about the stages of human life.

### 2. a mystery

noun · CEFR B2

a person or thing that is very difficult to explain or understand.

For teachers: a person, situation, or thing that is mysterious or puzzling.

- How the ancient stones were moved remains a riddle to this day.
- The sudden disappearance of the colony remains a historical riddle that continues to baffle archaeologists and researchers alike.

### 5. a large sieve

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a large tool with a wire mesh used for separating stones from soil or grain from husks.

For teachers: a coarse sieve used for sifting large quantities of material such as gravel, grain, or coal.

- The gardener used a riddle to remove the large rocks from the flower bed.
- Before the grain could be milled, it was passed through a heavy-duty riddle to ensure all debris and chaff were removed.

## Examples

- The children spent the afternoon asking each other every riddle they knew.
- The detective realized that the killer's note was actually a riddle pointing to the next location.
- To the historians, the sudden disappearance of the settlement remains a riddle, as no physical evidence of conflict or disease has ever been recovered from the site.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.