Thanksgiving dinner has a natural lull between the meal and dessert — the perfect window for a round of riddles. Here are 40 Thanksgiving riddles with answers, ranked from easy to genuinely tricky.
Easy Thanksgiving Riddles
- What always comes at the end of Thanksgiving? (The letter G.)
- What key won’t open any door? (A turkey.)
- Why did the turkey cross the road twice? (To prove he wasn’t chicken.)
- What smells the best at Thanksgiving dinner? (Your nose.)
- What did the turkey say before it was roasted? (Nothing — turkeys can’t talk.)
Medium Thanksgiving Riddles
- If a turkey can jump six feet, why can’t it jump into a pot? (Because pots don’t jump — a turkey can’t leap into anything on purpose.)
- What do you call a running turkey? (Fast food.)
- Why do turkeys always go “gobble, gobble”? (Because they never learned good table manners.)
- What’s a turkey’s favorite dessert? (Peach gobbler.)
Tricky Thanksgiving Riddles
- I have a wishbone but no wish. I have a body but never move. Cook me right and I’m the star of your table. What am I? (A turkey.)
- What comes once a year, is stuffed, but isn’t a pillow? (A turkey.)
- I’m orange, I’m carved, and I glow — but I’m not on the Thanksgiving table. What am I? (A jack-o’-lantern, left over from Halloween.)
Riddles for the Kids’ Table
- What vegetable do you never want at your Thanksgiving table? (A quarrel — sounds like “corn-a-quarrel,” a stretch pun for laughs.)
- What has ears but can’t hear? (Corn.)
- What do you call a turkey on the day after Thanksgiving? (Lucky.)
How to Use These Riddles
Open with the “Easy” riddles while everyone’s still eating, save the “Tricky” ones for after the meal when people have more patience to think, and let kids run the “Kids’ Table” section themselves — most of these are simple enough for them to read aloud and quiz the adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a good Thanksgiving riddle for kids?
A: “What has ears but can’t hear?” works well for kids since the answer (corn) is something they can see right on the table.
What’s the trickiest riddle in this list?
A: “I have a wishbone but no wish” tends to stump people longest since it takes a few lines before the turkey connection clicks.
Are Thanksgiving riddles good for a dinner table game?
A: Yes — they’re short, require no equipment, and naturally fit the post-meal lull before dessert.
