Weekly Puzzle Challenge: Think You Can Solve These?
Good morning, puzzle people!
You’ve done the crossword, skimmed the headlines, and now it’s time for a different kind of challenge. The kind where the only thing at stake is your pride... and maybe some light bragging rights
We’ve got the mental equivalent of a brisk walk: a few riddles, a couple logic puzzles, and a dash of number crunching to wake up those well-earned wisdom cells.
So, grab your pen and paper (or your iPad if you’re feeling techy), and let’s give your noggin a nice jog.
Answers are at the bottom—but trust us, it’s more satisfying to earn them than peek early (no judgment, though—we’ve all done it once).
Two Riddles Walk into Your Brain…
Warning: excessive smirking and “aha!” moments may occur.
Riddle #1
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears.
I have no body, but I come alive with wind.
What am I?
Riddle #2
I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
Let’s Get Logical
Don’t overthink it… or do. Honestly, that’s kind of the point here.
Logic Puzzle #1: The Three Light Bulbs
You're in a room with three light switches. In another room, there are three light bulbs.
Each switch controls one bulb, but you don't know which is which.
You can turn the switches on and off as many times as you like— but you may only enter the bulb room once.
How do you figure out which switch controls which bulb?
Logic Puzzle #2: The Bridge Crossing
Four people need to cross a bridge at night. They have one flashlight, and the bridge is too dangerous to cross without it. Only two people can cross at a time, and they must walk at the slower person's pace.
Person A: 1 minute
Person B: 2 minutes
Person C: 5 minutes
Person D: 8 minutes
What is the shortest time needed for all four to cross?
Not Your Grandma’s Crossword (But She’d Still Crush It)
These brain twisters are 100% gluten-free but may contain high levels of confusion.
Brain Twister #1: Word Ladder
Change the word COLD to WARM, changing one letter at a time to form a new valid English word at each step. What’s the shortest path?
Brain Twister #2: Hidden Pattern
Find the next number in this sequence: 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 17, ___?
The Big Reveal (Cue Drumroll)
Answers ahead. Proceed with pride… or denial. We accept both.
✅ Riddle #1:
I speak without a mouth and hear without ears.
I have no body, but I come alive with wind.
What am I?
Answer: An Echo
✅ Riddle #2:
I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?
Answer: A keyboard
✅ Logic Puzzle #1: The Three Light Bulbs
Solution:
Turn on switch A and leave it on for a few minutes.
Turn it off and immediately turn on switch B.
Go into the bulb room.
Answer: The bulb that’s on = switch B; warm but off = switch A; cold and off = switch C.
✅ Logic Puzzle #2: The Bridge Crossing
Solution: A&B cross = 2, A returns = 1, C&D cross = 8, B returns = 2, A&B cross again = 2
Answer: 15 minutes
✅ Brain Twister #1: Word Ladder
Answer: COLD → CORD → WORD → WORM → WARM
✅ Brain Twister #2: Hidden Pattern
Each number increases by one more than the previous increment: +1, +2, +3, etc.
Answer: 23
See You Next Week!
And that wraps up this week’s round of puzzles, riddles, and “Hmm, I should’ve known that” moments.
Whether you aced it or just enjoyed the ride, we’re glad you played along.
We’ll have a fresh batch waiting next weekend. Until then, stay curious, stay clever, and maybe share this with a friend who thinks they’re good at riddles (we dare them).