How to Write Riddles

Riddles are word games. They stretch your brain by making you think about the meanings of words. They play with associations between ideas and images. Writing riddles is tricky because you don't want to make them too easy, but making them too difficult frustrates people. Here's how to write a good riddle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Choose your topic. Tap into what you like. Write about seashells, seaweed or sea horses if you love the ocean, for instance.

2. Sit back in your chair, close your eyes and visualize yourself as the object of your riddle.

3. Write down what your object would see, hear, feel, smell, taste and do.

4. Note words that oppose those on your list. A seashell would smell the salty ocean but not the cookies baking in your oven or the roses in your garden.

5. Look up synonyms and antonyms for all your words in a thesaurus. Search for alternative wording to reference in your riddle without giving the answer.

6. Explore literary techniques like similes and metaphors using the words in Step Five.

7. Test your riddle with friends and family. Write a more challenging riddle if they tell you it's too easy to guess. Use phrases or images that have double meanings.

Tips & Warnings

• You can write a riddle about anything, but something concrete like a tree is easier to handle than an abstract idea like kindness.
• Use words from Step Three only occasionally for variety. A riddle that concentrates on everything your object isn't will frustrate your reader.
• Don't get too specific. For example, write about flowers rather than magnolias.

Resources

• Discuss riddle writing on this site's forums.