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We all have a problem-solving toolkit in our heads. But sometimes, you may come across a brain teaser that stumps you. In this case, it helps to look at it from a different angle instead of going after the most obvious answer. This is exactly how lateral-thinking puzzles work!
What is lateral thinking, you may wonder? Let’s say that when you think vertically, you go right after the most logical solution to a problem. Instead, lateral thinking questions require you to look at things with fresh eyes and find an alternative answer. These mind puzzles can be pretty fascinating as they challenge traditional ways of thinking.
Our brains are wired to think in a linear way. But these 62 funny puzzle questions with answers will show you how to think outside the box. These lateral-thinking puzzles will not only entertain but also sharpen your logical thinking.
So, are you a lateral thinker? Let’s find out! Try to solve these out-of-the-box questions and lateral-thinking puzzles (with answers) to see how imaginative you can be!
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#1
There are a dozen eggs in a carton. Twelve people each take a single egg, but there is one egg left in the carton. How?
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#2
A man who lives in a 30-story building decides to jump out of his window. He survives the fall with no injuries. How did that happen?
#3
A boat has a ladder that’s 10 feet long, and hangs off the side of the boat, with its last three feet submerged in water. If the ocean tide rises five feet, how much of the ladder will be underwater?
What are Lateral Thinking Puzzles?
Lateral thinking questions are riddles or brain teasers designed to challenge conventional ways of thinking. They require you to think creatively and approach confusing questions from unconventional angles to find solutions.
These mind game puzzles often involve situations that may initially seem illogical or contradictory. They may stump you as the answer is not immediately evident. However, these riddles can be solved with clever and unexpected reasoning. They’re like acrobatics for your mind!
They’re a fantastic way to boost your creative juices, sharpen your problem-solving skills, and, most importantly, have fun. They’ll leave you grinning from ear to ear when that “aha!” moment finally strikes.
#4
You are driving a bus. The bus is empty when you begin your route. At the first stop, three people get on. At the second stop, nine people get on and two get off. At the third stop, four people get off and two get on. What color are the bus driver’s eyes?
#5
The sound of Brian’s snoring is usually just annoying, but today it causes terror and panic. Why?
#6
A man is condemned to his life's end. He has to choose from three rooms to accept his punishment. The first room has a firing squad with guns loaded. The second room has a blazing fire. The third room is full of tigers that haven’t eaten for six months. Which room should he choose?
Which Games Improve Lateral Thinking?
Looking for some brain-boosting fun? Try these games that are like mental gymnastics for your brain, perfect for firing up your lateral thinking skills:
- Riddles and Brain Teasers: Classic riddles and brain teasers force you to think laterally to solve them.
- Crossword Puzzles: Mind games puzzles such as crosswords require you to make connections between words and clues and encourage creative thinking.
- Chess and Strategy Games: Games that involve strategic planning and anticipating your opponent’s moves can enhance lateral thinking.
- Sudoku: Sudoku is another mind puzzle that requires both logic and creativity to fill in the grid.
- Mind mapping exercises and brain training apps can also help you connect ideas and concepts visually.
#7
You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to pass out.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Knowing that there can only be one passenger in your car, whom would you choose?
#8
If you were alone in a dark room, with only one match and an oil lamp, a fireplace, and a candle to choose from, which would you light first?
#9
Which countries have the 4th of July out of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and Canada?
Dillon Brown 2 years ago
Here I was thinking they were saying some had stolen that day out of the year and were secretly keeping the date all to the one country!
What is Lateral vs. Linear Thinking?
Humans are wired to think in a linear pattern. When presented with a problem, we always follow a structured, step-by-step path to reach a solution. This logical and systematic approach is useful for math and science questions that require analysis of cause-and-effect. Linear thinking focuses on finding the most direct solution.
Lateral thinking, on the other hand, requires throwing logic out the window and thinking creatively. It challenges your brain to look at the solution from all angles and make unexpected connections.
This is not just helpful in solving mind puzzles but also for your profession. Lateral thinking can spark breakthrough innovations, whether you’re trying to write a story or develop a new product. It can help you connect unrelated concepts and come up with novel approaches. It also works on psychological tricks.
#10
Three people enter a room but only two walk out. The room is empty. Where is the third person?
#11
Several voices were heard coming from the other room. There was a lot of commotion however when the room was checked there was only one person inside. What’s going on?
#12
A woman had two sons. They were born at the same hour on the same day of the same month in the same year. However, they were not twins. How could this be?
What are the Five Methods of Lateral Thinking?
You can solve lateral thinking questions by adding steps to the brainstorming process. This will help you see patterns in the mind game puzzles and identify gaps. Here are five lateral thinking techniques to sharpen your problem-solving skills:
Reverse Thinking: Flip the problem around and consider the opposite or reverse perspective. Don’t get stuck in an anchoring bias, where people tend to make decisions based on the first information they receive. To innovate, you’ll need to reorganize the data.
Ask Why: To break the cognitive bias, you need to ask questions. Challenge assumptions and conventional wisdom by deconstructing the mind puzzle and examining each element. When it comes to lateral-thinking puzzles, almost always, the answer lies in the question.
Reframe Ideas: Combine unrelated ideas, concepts, or objects to generate innovative solutions.
Random Input: You can break the linear thinking pattern by introducing unrelated or random elements to your problem-solving process. This triggers new ideas.
Metaphorical Thinking: Use metaphors and analogies to draw connections between seemingly unrelated concepts.
#13
A woman walked up to a man behind a counter and handed him a book. He looked at it and said, "That will be four dollars." She paid the man and then walked out without the book. He saw her leave without it but did not call her back. How come?
#14
On a Sunday afternoon, a woman spotted a bear in the distance. Rather than be afraid, she ran toward it excitedly. Why wasn’t she afraid?
#15
Six pieces of coal, a carrot, and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly logical reason why they should be there. What is it?
Dillon Brown 2 years ago
Because they put them on the snowman, not the lawn, but the snowman is on the lawn which they put them on, so in fact they did put them on the lawn...
#16
A man and his son are in a car crash. The father is killed and the child is taken to hospital gravely injured. When he gets there, the surgeon says, 'I can't operate on this boy - for he is my son!!!' How can this possibly be?
Dillon Brown 2 years ago
This one plays on the society bias for men being in roles like surgeons. I'm sad to say even knowing the answer the second time I heard it I had a hard time coming up with the answer 😓
#17
John was watching television. Just after the midnight news here was a weather forecast: lilt is raining now and will rain for the next two days. However, in 72 hours it will be bright and sunny." "Wrong again," snorted John. He was correct but how did he know?
#18
A man is in a grocery store and fills a shopping cart. He walks out of the store without paying but no one stops him and no one calls the police. Why?
Brandon Brown 2 years ago
Because, legally, the employees of the grocery store aren’t allowed to run after, touch or follow this shoplifter, the police won’t make it in time so the guy gets away with it
#19
A girl celebrated her birthday. Two days later, her older twin celebrated his. How?
#20
The man finds himself commuting to work in his car every day. Upon arrival to work each morning, he proceeds to drive his car in a circle four times before finally parking it and entering his office building. Why does the man drive in circles every day?
#21
Acting on an anonymous phone call, the police raid a house to arrest a suspected murderer. They don't know what he looks like but they know his name is John and that he is inside the house. The police bust in on a carpenter, a lorry driver, a mechanic and a fireman all playing poker. Without hesitation or communication of any kind, they immediately arrest the fireman. How do they know they've got their man?
#22
Jenny is found without any signs of life in her car… an act of violence. Her purse, handbag, and phone are missing. Police work out who she is and contact her husband. The husband rushes to the crime scene and is immediately arrested. How are the police so certain it’s him?
Stephanie Goadsby 2 years ago
I would have thought contacting the husband would involve telling him where they located the vehicle.
#23
Every two weeks a woman sits down and writes two words on 60 sheets of paper. Why does she do this?
#24
Rachael and Monica have moved into a shared house with several other occupants. Monica doesn’t like their new accommodation though because of the angry and aggressive cat that greeted them when they first walked in. Rachael realizes that there isn’t really a problem. Why?
Metallicd3ath 2 years ago
I was gonna say the cat was actually Monica's and that she's always complaining about it
#25
A woman lives on the 30th floor and hates taking the stairs. Every day she takes the elevator down to the lobby floor to go to work. When she comes home from work, she takes the elevator to the 20th floor and walks the rest of the way up, except on days when it rains. Those days she takes the elevator all the way home. Why does she walk the last ten flights of stairs if she hates it so much?
Julieandthephatones 2 years ago
and she doesn't just always carry one of those extendable umbrellas everyday??
#26
Sam’s dad couldn’t keep his son from playing video games. To keep Sam from playing video games all the time, the dad grabbed a hammer and solved the problem. Now he can play video games but Sam cannot. What did the dad do?
#27
After a night of partying with her friends, a woman arrives home and finds that she cannot enter the house. She’s sure that she’s at the right home, but she cannot get inside. What happened that makes entering her home impossible?
#28
At the bottom of a large hill, more than 50 cars are involved in an accident. Some of the cars are overturned and others are resting on top of other cars. The pile-up is so large that a few military vehicles and a fire truck are also involved in the crash. What happened to cause this big accident?
#29
A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says, “Thank you” and walks out.
#30
While walking across a large open field, you come across a woman that has died very suddenly, unexpectedly, and only a very short time ago. You look around but there is no one and nothing except for an unopened package next to the woman. How did she die?
#31
A woman enters a large metal tube. She’s terrified and holds her husband’s hand for comfort. He soothes her but is fine himself. A few hours later, the torment ends, and the woman is fine. What happened?
#32
A woman enters a room and presses a button. Within seconds she instantly loses 20 pounds. How did she lose the weight?
#33
A newspaper article states that Mr. Smith and his wife were skiing in the Alps and that Mrs. Smith had an accident, fell off the mountain, and was killed. How does the man reading the newspaper know that Mr. Smith murdered his wife?
#34
A couple enters a grand ballroom only to find the occupants are unalive. There has been no crime committed. The couple is not concerned by what they have found. How is this possible?
#35
A woman is driving on a sunny day. She makes a turn and water suddenly starts to pelt her car very hard for about five minutes. Then the car is buffed by extremely hard blowing air. The car even begins to shake. The blowing stops, and the woman makes another turn onto the main road and heads home safely. What happened?
#36
Let us agree that at the North Pole it is impossible to look north and at the South Pole it is impossible to look south. Then, where in the world would you be if you could look north and south but could not look east or west?
#37
There are ten birds perched on a fence. A farmer aims his rifle and shoots one. How many birds are left?
#38
A man was drinking a cup of tea when he was suddenly blinded. How?
#39
A hunter aimed his gun carefully and fired. Seconds later, he realized his mistake. Minutes later, he passed away. What happened?
Dillon Brown 2 years ago
He aimed carefully but was still a terrible shot. He realized his mistake was missing a grizzly despite being 4 feet away and deciding to poach anyway! He was eaten minutes later but the bear had diarrhea, so in minutes he passed his way through the bears digestive system 😁
#40
A man is lying without any signs of life, face down in the desert. There’s a match near his outstretched hand. What happened?
#41
A family had a chicken coop for their one dozen, egg producing hens. Late one night, a terrible storm came through their area and killed all but eight chickens. How many chickens did the family have in the next morning?
#42
A man raced his car through the streets with his wife as his only passenger. When they stopped, the husband got out of the car. When he returned, his found his wife without any signs of life and a stranger in the car. What had happened?
#43
A woman opened a door, screamed, and then was found without any signs of life a few minutes later. No gunshots were heard in the area. What happened to her?
#44
A woman hears her name and is then taken away by two men. Later, the woman dies while under the care of many. What happened to this poor woman?
#45
A woman grabbed a guy’s ring, pulled on it, and dropped it, thereby saving his life. What happened?
Eric The Epic 2 years ago
Thinking the "ring" was a colorful way to say "noose". A lot of these are insanely ridiculous, wouldn't have surprised me
#46
Fiona entered a restaurant where a crowd of people was enjoying a meal. When the people saw Fiona they dropped their forks and fled the restaurant. What happened?
#47
A man dives for oysters for a living. One day, an angry and extremely dangerous shark confronts the man. He has no way to defend himself, but he isn’t worried.
#48
A man buys two exactly identical drinks at a bar and gives one to his friend. The friend passes away from poison found in his drink, but the man who bought the drinks lives without consuming any poison at all despite finishing his drink.
Crystal Hart 2 years ago
No, the drinks are EXACTLY IDENTICAL. The poison is in the ice. The man drinks his quickly so the ice doesn't have a chance to melt and poison the drink. The friend drank his slowly so the ice melted and poisoned his drink.
#49
A woman has indisputable proof in court that her husband was murdered by her sister. The judge declares, “This is the strangest case I’ve ever seen. Though it’s a clear case, this woman cannot be punished.” How can this be?
#50
Betty has been missing for more than 50 years. When a person finds her, he/she immediately knows that they’ve found Betty after going missing all those years ago. How does he/she know this?
#51
Hans and Fritz are German spies during World War II. They try to enter America, posing as returning tourists. Hans is immediately arrested. What happened to give him away?
#52
Little Billy was four years old and both his parents had passed away. His guardian put him on a train to send him to a new home in the country. Billy could neither read nor write nor remember the address, so a large label on a string was secured around his neck clearly indicating Billy's name and destination. However, despite the best efforts and kindness of the railway staff, Billy never arrived at his new home. Why?
#53
A man pushes his car until he reaches a hotel. When he arrives, he realizes he’s bankrupt. What happened?
#54
Donald's Trucking Company has been delivering goods to and from local businesses for years. Donald's business is steady and his trucks drive the same routes and roads every day without any trouble. This year, Donald decided to start delivering and receiving goods on Christmas Day as a way to earn additional money. When Christmas Day finally came, Donald sent a few drivers out to do business with those companies that chose to remain open. Later that day Donald received a call that one of his delivery drivers had struck a bridge and severally damaged the truck. How could this happen if the driver's have always used the same route without any previous problems?
Dillon Brown 2 years ago
Or, here me out here! The driver, angry and being forced to work on Christmas for no extra pay by a d!ck of a boss, the driver drove the truck under a bridge it new it wouldn't clear and called to quite before going home!
#55
A body is discovered in a park in New York in the middle of summer. It has a fractured skull and many other broken bones, but the cause of perishing was hypothermia. What happened?
#56
The music stops and a woman passes away. What’s going on?
#57
One day a woman received a parcel in the mail. She found a carefully packed human arm inside. She examined it, repacked it, and sent it on to another woman. The second woman also carefully examined the arm and then took it to the woods and buried it. Why did they both do these things?
#58
A woman had a pet goldfish which she loved very dearly. One day she noticed that it was swimming feebly in its bowl and it looked very unwell. She rushed to the vet with her prized pet and he told her to come back in an hour. When she returned she found the goldfish swimming strongly and looking healthy again. How had the vet managed this?
Shine Chisholm 2 years ago
So many problems with this, from consent to animal abuse. Ugh. Goldfish are lovely fish that live long lives when cared for correctly. Bowls are not suitable habitats. A vet should never, never lie about the medical outcome of a pet.
#59
One sunny day, you’re cruising on your boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In the middle of the ocean, you spot a yacht and see several corpses floating in the water nearby. What happened?
#60
A man is sitting in a dark room having a great time. Suddenly, he stops breathing and can’t speak. In a matter of moments, his breathing and ability to speak come back to him. What happened?
#61
Two men ordered dinner in a restaurant. They both ordered the same items from the menu. After they both tasted it, one of the men went outside the restaurant and took himself out. Why did he do so?
What do you think ?
Metallicd3ath 2 years ago
These are all over the place. A few are proper riddles, though maybe not lateral riddles, a very very few are proper lateral puzzles, bit a vast majority of them are "you can make up a billion 20-step stories to answer the question but here's the "right" answer"
Stan Tribble 2 years ago
Did we all just participate in a sadistic psychology experiment?! "How many people will suffer through to the end, and what does that say about their mental health?"
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mercutio.is.dead 2 years ago
you’re lucky you didn’t get to the last one because holy s**t was that an awful riddle.
Load More Replies... Metallicd3ath 2 years ago
These are all over the place. A few are proper riddles, though maybe not lateral riddles, a very very few are proper lateral puzzles, bit a vast majority of them are "you can make up a billion 20-step stories to answer the question but here's the "right" answer"
Stan Tribble 2 years ago
Did we all just participate in a sadistic psychology experiment?! "How many people will suffer through to the end, and what does that say about their mental health?"
Load More Replies... mercutio.is.dead 2 years ago
you’re lucky you didn’t get to the last one because holy s**t was that an awful riddle.
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