Looking for a tricky word riddle that makes people stop and think? The question about which word is spelled wrong in the dictionary stumps many word lovers. It’s a brain teaser that seems simple but catches most people off guard the first time they hear it.

This quick guide will provide the answer to this classic puzzle and explain why it works so effectively. You’ll learn the clever wordplay behind this riddle and how you can use similar word tricks to entertain friends and family.

In this article, we’ll explain the solution, look at why this riddle is so effective, and share a few similar word puzzles you might enjoy.

The All-Time Classic Riddle

Word riddles have stood the test of time. They make us think, laugh, and sometimes groan when we hear the answer. The dictionary riddle, which asks which word is spelled incorrectly in the dictionary, is a classic example. The answer? The word “wrong” itself is spelled correctly, but it means incorrect.

This type of wordplay uses double meanings to trick our brains. It works because we focus on identifying a misspelling rather than considering the words themselves.

The major lesson here is how our assumptions limit our thinking. We look for spelling errors when the answer lies in the meaning of words. This mirrors life, where the solutions to problems often require us to shift our perspective entirely.

Other famous word riddles include asking what has keys but no locks or what gets wetter as it dries.

These simple questions stick with us because they challenge our normal ways of thinking.

Similar Mind-Bending Riddles

Ready to make your mind go crazy, or want to play with your friends and family? Below are similar riddles, such as what word is spelled wrong in the dictionary.

Mental Marathon: Quick Thinkers

1. How many months in a year have 28 days?
All of them! Every month has at least 28 days.

2. What has hands and a face, but can’t hold anything or smile?
A clock.

3. It belongs to you, but your friends use it more. What is it?
Your name.

4. Kate’s mom has three children: Snap, Crackle, and ___?
Kate!

5. If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I?
A promise.

6. You are in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now?
Second place.

7. I have a tail and a head, but no body. What am I?
A coin.

8. What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
Lunch and dinner.

9. I am simple and can only point, yet I guide people all over the world. What am I?
A compass.

10. What has 13 hearts, but no other organs?
A deck of cards.

11. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Short.

12. What becomes wet while drying?
A towel.

13. What has keys but can’t open locks?
A piano.

14. What can you catch but not throw?
A cold.

15. What travels around the world but stays in one spot?
A stamp.

16. What falls but never rises?
Rain.

17. I go up and down, but never move. What am I?
A staircase.

18. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter “M.”

19. Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
A ton.

20. What gets bigger when more is taken away?
A hole.

Tricky Loops with Trick Questions

21. Grant is 8 years old, and his brother is half his age. Now Grant is 14. How old is his brother?
10 years old.

22. Two fathers and two sons spent a day fishing but only caught 3 fish. How?
They were a grandfather, father, and son.

23. Liam turned 11 two days ago, and next year he will be 14. How?
Today is January 1st and Liam’s birthday is December 31st.

24. Mrs. Brown has 5 daughters, each has one brother. How many children?
Six.

25. It rained at midnight, but the forecast is clear for the next two days. Will there be sunshine in 48 hours?
No, it will be midnight again.

26. There are 3 apples in a basket. You take away 2. How many do you have?
2 apples.

27. What can you put between 7 and 8 to make it greater than 7 but less than 8?
A decimal point (7.8).

28. A vest costs $20, a tie costs $15, a shirt costs $30. How much are pants?
$25.

29. 81 x 9 = 801. How to make this true?
Turn it upside down.

30. Double it, multiply by 4, divide by 8, and you have it. What is it?
Any number.

31. What three numbers give the same result when added and multiplied?
1, 2, and 3.

32. Zoey has 20 aunts, 20 uncles, and 50 cousins. Each cousin has an aunt not related to Zoey. How?
Their aunt is Zoey’s mom.

33. I am an odd number. Take away one letter, and I become even. What am I?
Seven.

34. Which is heavier: a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?
Neither.

35. What number do you get when you multiply all the numbers on a telephone’s number pad?
Zero.

36. What has many needles but doesn’t sew?
A Christmas tree.

37. Where does today come before yesterday?
In a dictionary.

38. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light.

39. What has one eye but can’t see?
A needle.

40. What can’t be used until it’s broken?
An egg.

41. What kind of band never plays music?
A rubber band.

42. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.

43. What has many teeth but can’t bite?
A comb.

44. What is cut on a table but never eaten?
A deck of cards.

45. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Footsteps.

Word Twisters: Making You Think Twice

46. What has legs but doesn’t walk?
A table.

47. What comes down but never goes up?
Rain.

48. If two’s company, and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Nine.

49. What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
A teapot.

50. What is full of holes but still holds water?
A sponge.

51. What question can you never answer yes to?
Are you asleep?

52. What invention lets you look through walls?
A window.

53. What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?
A map.

54. What can run but can’t walk?
Water.

55. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?
A palm.

56. What has four wheels and flies?
A garbage truck.

57. What can you hold without touching it at all?
Your breath.

58. What starts with P, ends with E, and has thousands of letters?
Post office.

59. What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on?
A coat of paint.

60. I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I?
A candle.

61. What type of cheese is made backward?
Edam.

62. What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters?
Short.

63. What can’t talk but will reply when spoken to?
An echo.

64. What starts with an E, ends with an E, but only has one letter in it?
An envelope.

65. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter “M.”

66. What begins with an E but only contains one letter?
An envelope.

67. What goes up but never comes back down?
Your age.

68. The more you take away, the bigger I become. What am I?
A hole.

69. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
A stamp.

70. What word is spelled incorrectly in every dictionary?
Incorrectly.

71. What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
A promise.

72. A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed three days and rode out on Friday. How is this possible?
His horse’s name was Friday.

73. What word contains 26 letters but only has three syllables?
Alphabet.

74. What comes at the end of everything?
The letter “G.”

75. What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
The future.

76. What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
A piano.

77. What’s black and white and read all over?
A newspaper.

78. What has hands but can’t clap?
A clock.

79. What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel.

80. What’s easy to lift but hard to throw?
A feather.

81. What can you hear but not see or touch?
A voice.

82. What is always running but never moves?
A clock.

83. I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest man can’t hold me for much longer than a minute. What am I?
Breath.

84. What has one head, one foot, and four legs?
A bed.

85. What’s the end of everything?
The letter “G.”

86. If you throw a blue stone into the Red Sea, what will it become?
Wet.

87. Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?
The letter “C.”

88. What has many rings but no fingers?
A telephone.

89. I shave every day, but my beard stays the same. Who am I?
A barber.

90. What has four eyes but can’t see?
Mississippi.

91. What has one letter and starts and ends with an E?
An envelope.

92. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?
A carrot.

93. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
Frostbite.

94. What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet it never grows?
A mountain.

95. What begins with an “A” and ends with an “E” and has an “E” in it?
Apple.

96. What has four fingers and a thumb but isn’t alive?
A glove.

97. What starts with a P, ends with an E, and has thousands of letters?
Post office.

98. What has words, but never speaks?
A book.

99. The more you take away, the larger it becomes. What is it?
A hole.

100. What can you see once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
The letter “M.”

101. What is easy to get into but hard to get out of?
Trouble.

102. What has a thumb and four fingers but is not a hand?
A glove.

103. What has an eye but cannot see?
A hurricane.

104. What comes once in a second, twice in a decade, but never in a lifetime?
The letter “E.”

105. What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Light.

106. What can’t be burned in a fire nor drowned in water?
Ice.

107. The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.

108. I have keys but no locks. I have space but no rooms. You can enter but you can’t go inside. What am I?
A keyboard.

109. If you drop me, I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?
A mirror.

110. What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it?
A teapot.

111. What comes after thunder but before lightning?
The letter “U.”

How to Use These Riddles

Word riddles, such as the dictionary puzzle, add fun to any gathering. They break the ice and get people talking. Here are some ways to use them:

• Share them at family dinners to start conversations
• Use them as warm-up activities in classrooms or meetings
• Send them in text messages to friends when conversations go quiet
• Include them in birthday cards for a personal touch
• Try them on long car rides to pass the time
• Post them on social media to engage followers
• Use them as brain teasers for kids on rainy days
• Start your work presentations with one to grab attention
• Add them to party games for extra laughs
• Collect your favorites in a small notebook

Winding It Up

Now you know the answer to “what word is spelled wrong in the dictionary” and how to use similar word puzzles. The trick lies in the dual meaning of “wrong” – it’s spelled correctly but means incorrect. This simple play on words teaches us to look beyond our first assumptions.

These word games do more than entertain; they also engage the mind. They help us think differently and see multiple meanings in language.

Next time you’re with friends or family, try sharing the dictionary riddle and watch as they work through the same mental process you did.

Why not test these riddles on someone today? Or better yet, create your wordplay puzzle. Leave a comment below with your favorite word riddle, or tell us how people reacted when you asked them what word is spelled wrong in the dictionary.

Ready for more brain teasers? Check out our collection of logic puzzles!