The Answer to the Riddle: A Deck of Playing Cards
“What has 13 hearts but no other organs?” this brain teaser nudges us toward thinking about strange creatures. But the answer is sitting on many coffee tables: a deck of playing cards.
A standard deck has four suits, with hearts being one of them. The heart suit contains exactly 13 cards from ace to king, each showing the familiar heart symbol.
The riddle works through clever misdirection. While we search our minds for bizarre animals or medical anomalies, the solution is an everyday item with a rich history dating back to ancient china.
Next time you hear this puzzle, you’ll be ready with the answer!
Why the Riddle is Misleading: Understanding the Metaphor
Riddles fool us by playing with language in clever ways. The “13 hearts but no other organs” puzzle is a perfect example of this mental trickery.
- Word tricks create confusion – “hearts” means both card symbols and body organs, leading us astray.
- We jump to living creatures – our first thought is animals, not everyday objects like playing cards.
- The phrase “no other organs” strengthens this mistake – it makes us search for unusual animals rather than simple items.
- Playing cards blur object and character lines – kings and queens show people, yet they’re just printed images.
- Misdirection works powerfully – like magic tricks, the riddle points us one way while the answer sits elsewhere.
- Our brains love finding patterns – we try matching real animals to these odd criteria instead of thinking differently.
This puzzle teaches us to question our first thoughts. By breaking free from expected paths, we find the simple truth: a deck of cards with its 13 heartsuit cards is the answer.
Other Engaging Riddles for the Curious Mind
1. What has keys but can’t open locks? Piano.
2. What has a face but can’t smile? Clock.
3. What has a mouth but can’t speak? River.
4. What has legs but can’t walk? Chair.
5. What has hands but can’t clap? Clock.
6. What has a head but can’t think? Coin.
7. What has a neck but no head? Bottle.
8. What has teeth but doesn’t bite? Comb.
9. What has a tongue but can’t talk? Shoe.
10. What has a bed but never sleeps? River.
11. What has a ring but no finger? Telephone.
12. What has a thumb but no fingers? Glove.
13. What has a crown but no head? Coin.
14. What has a foot but never walks? Ruler.
15. What has a hole but can hold something? Bucket.
16. What has a shell but no body? Egg.
17. What has a bank but no money? River.
18. What has a tail but no body? Coin.
19. What has a horn but can’t blow it? Rhinoceros.
20. What has a body but no soul? Car.
21. What has a tongue but no taste? Shoe.
22. What has a tail but no back? Coin.
23. What has a door but no key? Cabinet.
24. What has a roof but no walls? Car.
25. What has a face but no eyes? Clock.
26. What has a mouth but can’t eat? River.
27. What has windows but no glass? Computer.
Conclusion
Looking back at our card riddle, we learned something neat about how puzzles work.
This simple question about 13 hearts shows us how language can play tricks on our minds.
Next time, when someone asks what has 13 hearts but no other organs, you’ll know it’s not an animal at all but a clever brain teaser about playing cards.
