riddle
English · Thesaurus
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
riddle¹
- /ˈɹɪdəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪdəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪdl̩]
- /ˈɹɪɾəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪɾəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɾl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪdəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rǣdels, rǣdelse (“counsel, opinion, imagination, riddle”), from Proto-West Germanic *rādislī (“counsel, conjecture”). Analyzable as rede (“advice”) + -le. Akin to Old English rǣdan (“to read, advise, interpret”). Cognate with Dutch raadsel, German Rätsel.
noun riddles
-
A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
Here's a riddle: It's black, and white, and red all over. What is it?
Similar: enigma, conundrum, brain-teaser
- An ancient verbal, poetic, or literary form, in which, rather than a rhyme scheme, there are parallel opposing expressions with a hidden meaning.
verb riddles · riddling · riddled
- To speak ambiguously or enigmatically.
-
To solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question.
Riddle me this.
Similar: decipher, puzzle out, unriddle, absolve, get to the bottom of, iron out, meliorate, cure, ravel, reason out, resolve, riddle
riddle²
- /ˈɹɪdəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪdəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪdl̩]
- /ˈɹɪɾəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪɾəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɾl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪdəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English riddil, ridelle (“sieve”), from Old English hriddel (“sieve”), alteration of earlier hridder, hrīder, from Proto-West Germanic *hrīdrā, from Proto-Germanic *hrīdrą, *hrīdrǭ (“sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *hrid- (“to shake”), from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Akin to German Reiter (“sieve”), Old Norse hreinn (“pure, clean”), Old High German hreini (“pure, clean”), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, “clean, pure”). More at rinse.
noun riddles
- A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand.
- A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.
verb riddles · riddling · riddled
- To put something through a riddle or sieve; to sieve; to sift. You have to riddle the gravel before you lay it on the road.
- To fill with holes like a riddle. The shots from his gun began to riddle the targets.
-
To fill or spread throughout; to pervade (with something destructive or weakening).
Your argument is riddled with errors.
Similar: litter
riddle³
- /ˈɹɪdəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪdəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪdl̩]
- /ˈɹɪɾəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪɾəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɾl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪdəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English riddel, ridel, redel, rudel, from Old French ridel ("a plaited stuff; curtain"; > Medieval Latin ridellus), from rider (“to wrinkle”), from Old High German rīdan (“to turn; wrap; twist; wrinkle”). More at writhe. Doublet of rideau.
noun riddles
- A curtain; bedcurtain.
- One of the pair of curtains enclosing an altar on the north and south.
riddle⁴
- /ˈɹɪdəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪdəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪdl̩]
- /ˈɹɪɾəl/
- [ˈɹʷɪɾəl] ~ [ˈɹʷɪɾl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪdəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English ridlen, from the noun (see above).
verb riddles · riddling · riddled
- To plait.
Riddle⁵
Where it comes from
Named after Ryedale in Yorkshire, as well as a spelling variant of Riddell.
proper noun
- A surname.
- An unincorporated community in Owyhee County, Idaho.
- An unincorporated community in Ohio Township, Crawford County, Indiana, named after George Washington Riddle.
- A city in Douglas County, Oregon.
- An unincorporated community in Ritchie County, West Virginia.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: brain-teaser, conundrum, enigma, screen, puzzle, mystery, secret, guess, stumper, clue, ree, embry, brainteaser, poser, knot, paradox
Translations
Every language
noun verbal puzzle
| Español | acertijo, adivinanza, cosicosa, enigma, quisicosa, quesiqués |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 수수께끼 susukkekki |
| 日本語 | 判じ物 hanjimono, 謎 nazo, 謎々, なぞなぞ nazonazo, パズル pazuru |
| 中文 | 謎語 /谜语 míyǔ, 謎題 /谜题 mítí |
| हिन्दी | पहेली pahelī, बुझोवल bujhoval, समस्या samasyā, रहस्य rahasya, राज़ rāz, राज rāj |
| Kiswahili | fumbo |
| Português | adivinha, charada, enigma |
| Français | devinaille, devinette, énigme |
| Deutsch | Rätsel, Scherzfrage |
| Italiano | enigma, indovinello |
| Ελληνικά | αίνιγμα aínigma, γρίφος grífos |
| Română | ghicitoare, cimilitură |
| Русский | зага́дка zagádka, ре́бус rébus |
| Tiếng Việt | câu đố |
| العربية | لُغْز luḡz, أُحْجِيَّة ʔuḥjiyya, مُعْضِلَة muʕḍila |
| עברית | חִידָה ḥidá |
verb to solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question
| Deutsch | enträtseln |
|---|---|
| Italiano | risolvere, spiegare |
| Ελληνικά | λύνω lýno, ξεδιαλύνω xedialýno, εξηγώ exigó |
| Русский | разга́дывать razgádyvatʹ, разгада́ть razgadátʹ |
verb to put something through a riddle or sieve
| Español | cribar, harnear |
|---|---|
| Français | cribler |
| Italiano | setacciare |
| Ελληνικά | κοσκινίζω koskinízo |
| Русский | просеивать proseivatʹ |
verb to fill with holes like a riddle
| Español | agujerear |
|---|---|
| Português | crivar |
| Français | cribler |
| Deutsch | durchlöchern |
| Italiano | crivellare, forare |
| Ελληνικά | τρυπώ trypó |
| Русский | изрешечивать izrešečivatʹ |
verb to fill or spread throughout; to pervade
| Español | plagar |
|---|---|
| Français | cribler |
| Italiano | cospargere, riempire |
| Русский | заполонять zapolonjatʹ |
Talk about this word "riddle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/riddle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. riddle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/riddle "riddle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/riddle.Cite this
@misc{riddle_2026,
title = {riddle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/riddle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
