50 Water Riddles

We all know water is life, essential for everything from that morning cup of joe to that refreshing post-workout shower.

But how well do you REALLY know this everyday wonder?

Well, put on your thinking caps because we’re about to dive deep with these riddles that will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about H2O.

Let’s go.

Water-Themed Riddles

1. I dance on rivers, yet I never move. I shine at night, but in the day, I’m doomed. What am I?
   
   
2. I can fall from great heights and not get hurt, I can be gentle or full of power, but I never stray far from home. What am I?
   
   
3. Clear as crystal, sharp as a sword, I’m formed by the weather’s mighty accord. What am I?
   
   
4. Born in the ocean, I rise with the sea, but when I reach my peak, I vanish. What am I?
   
   
5. I am a home to creatures great and small, yet I have no shape, no door, no wall. What am I?
   
   
6. I flow from the top of mountains to the bottom of the sea, my face is always changing, but my body stays the same. What am I?
   
   
7. I’m essential to life, yet I can destroy it too, I can be in your body or a part of morning dew. What am I?
   
   
8. Sometimes I’m a snake, other times a drop. I can be solid as a rock or as fluid as a thought. What am I?
   
   
9. I start at the source, end at the sea, the longer I go, the bigger I’ll be. What am I?
   
   
10. Though I cover two thirds of the earth, you can hold me in your hand. What am I?
    
    
11. I can be still, I can be violent, I can be hot, I can be silent. Always moving yet forever still, what am I?
    
    
12. With no wings, I fly. With no eyes, I cry. What am I?
    
    
13. I’m not a tree, but I have leaves. I’m not a beast, but I have a spine. Wherever I go, water follows. What am I?
    
    
14. In winter I am solid, in summer I’m a drink, give me to a flower, and it will live and not sink. What am I?
    
    
15. I can carve a path through stone, and yet I am gentle enough to soothe your skin. What am I?
    
    
16. I hold many keys, but cannot open a single lock. I can be grand or small, with a voice that can whisper or talk. What am I?
    
    
17. Without a mouth, I speak to your heart. Without ears, I listen. No matter where you are, I am always whispering. What am I?
    
    
18. I run without legs, I murmur but don’t speak, I strike without arms. What am I?
    
    
19. I’m seen at the beach, I’m seen at the bank, yet I never have money, and I’m often quite damp. What am I?
    
    
20. In winter I’m white, but not made of snow. In summer I flow, yet I’m not made to grow. What am I?
    
    
21. I can capsize a boat but leave it unharmed, and I can be as big as a mountain or as small as a pebble. What am I?
    
    
22. I’m not a bird, but I can fly, I’m not a cloud, but I can cover the sky. I can be clear or I can be foggy, without me, there’d be no ‘rainy’ or ‘foggy.’ What am I?
    
    
23. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every race. What am I?
    
    
24. I am sometimes full, sometimes half, and sometimes not at all. What am I?
    
    
25. I am rarely touched but often held, and if you are smart, you’ll use me well. What am I?
    
    
26. I have a source, but I’m not a news article; I can fall, but I don’t get hurt. What am I?
    
    
27. I’m often running yet I have no legs. You need me but I don’t need you. What am I?
    
    
28. I have a mouth but do not eat, I have a bed but do not sleep. I run everywhere but go nowhere. What am I?
    
    
29. I am in the sky but also in the ground. When I’m shiny, I’m admired. When I’m dirty, I’m cursed. What am I?
    
    
30. I am made of water but if you put me into water, I will die. What am I?
    
    
31. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, rivers but no water. What am I?
    
    
32. I’m not alive but I grow; without air, I die. What am I?
    
    
33. I am always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?
    
    
34. I’m not a bridge, but I connect two bodies; I’m not a person, but I can be crossed. What am I?
    
    
35. I’m lighter than air but can be seen by the naked eye. Solitary I am born in water but I die in the light. What am I?
    
    
36. I have a head and a tail, but no body. I am not a coin. What am I?
    
    
37. I hide in the daylight but prefer the sun, I am useless without being spun. What am I?
    
    
38. I am as small as a bead, but I can fill a whole room and take your breath away. What am I?
    
    
39. I’m as hard as rock, but I melt immediately in hot water. What am I?
    
    
40. I have a ring, but no fingers. I used to stay still, now I’m always running. What am I?
    
    
41. I am a word of letters three, add two and fewer there will be. What am I?
    
    
42. I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I?
    
    
43. I have no life, but I can die, I’m always hungry, and I need to be fed. What am I?
    
    
44. Born in water, I survive in it, but if I drink it, I will die. What am I?
    
    
45. I am not a snake, but I can hiss. I am in your house, but not in your flat. What am I?
    
    
46. I have a bed but do not sleep, I have a mouth but do not eat. What am I?
    
    
47. I am not a cat, but I can purr. I am not a bird, but I can fly. What am I?
    
    
48. I have a spine but no bones, I can be opened but not closed. What am I?
    
    
49. I am a protector. I sit on a bridge. One person can see right through me, while others wonder what I hide. What am I?
    
    
50. I have a heart that doesn’t beat. I can be seen after three, but I’m not a clock. What am I?

Answers

1. Moon’s Reflection on Water.
   
   
2. Rain.
   
   
3. An Icicle.
   
   
4. A Wave.
   
   
5. Water.
   
   
6. A River.
   
   
7. Water.
   
   
8. Water (in its various forms).
   
   
9. A River.
   
   
10. Water.
    
    
11. Water.
    
    
12. Cloud/Rain.
    
    
13. A Book (in the context of water damage or a book about marine life).
    
    
14. Water/Ice.
    
    
15. Water (as in a river or stream).
    
    
16. A Piano (in the context of ‘water keys’ or ‘sea pianos’).
    
    

17. Wind (as it carries the sound of water).
18. A Stream.
    
    
19. Sand (near water bodies).
    
    
20. Ice/Glacier.
    
    
21. A Wave.
    
    
22. Water Vapor/Mist.
    
    
23. The letter ‘E’ (in reference to words related to water like ‘eternity,’ ‘end,’ etc.).
    
    
24. The Moon (phases influencing tides).
    
    
25. An Oar/Paddle.
    
    
26. A Waterfall.
    
    
27. Water.
    
    
28. A River.
    
    
29. Water (in different forms, like ice or mud).
    
    
30. An Ice Cube.
    
    
31. A Map.
    
    
32. A Plant (in reference to water plants or algae).
    
    
33. Fire (used in context with water steam or boiling).
    
    

34. A Strait.
    
    
35. A Bubble.
    
    
36. A Fish.
    
    
37. A Dewdrop.
    
    
38. A Water Droplet.
    
    
39. Ice.
    
    
40. A Faucet.
    
    
41. Few.
    
    
42. A Joke.
    
    
43. Fire.
    
    
44. A Fish.
    
    
45. A Leaky Faucet.
    
    
46. A River.
    
    
47. A Kettle.
    
    
48. A Book on Marine Life.
    
    
49. Sunglasses (reflecting over water).
    
    
50. An Artichoke (in reference to water artichokes).