How to Solve the “You Enter a Room” Riddle (Plus Other Brain Teasers)

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Learn the surprising answer and logic behind this viral riddle

Co-authored by Kevin Bentley and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: December 11, 2024 Fact Checked

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“You Enter a Room” Riddle & Answer

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Alternative Answers & Theories

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More Clever Riddles

You may have seen a variation of this riddle making its rounds on social media: “You enter a room. 2 dogs, 4 horses, 1 giraffe, and a duck are lying on the bed. 3 chickens are flying over a chair. How many legs are on the ground?” It may look like a simple math puzzle at first, but the actual answer is a clever trick. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to solve the riddle (and give you a few extra brain teasers to test your puzzle-solving skills).

Section 1 of 3:

“You Enter a Room” Riddle & Answer

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“You enter a room. 2 dogs, 4 horses, 1 giraffe, and a duck are lying on the bed. 3 chickens are flying over a chair. How many legs are on the ground?” Think hard! Can you solve this viral riddle challenge without hints?
- Answer: 10 legs
- Explanation: Count your 2 legs (since you entered the room), the 4 legs of the chair, and the 4 legs of the bed. Even though there are other animals with legs in the room, they’re either lying on the bed or flying over the chair, so they’re not on the ground.^{[1]
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Section 2 of 3:

Alternative Answers to the “You Enter a Room” Riddle

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Some people argue that when you enter the room, your feet are on the ground but your legs are not. In that case, only the 4 chair legs and 4 bed legs touch the ground for a total of 8.
Some people think the joke is ambiguous and the chair could also be on the bed. If you’re only counting the bed legs, then only 4 are touching the ground.
The word “ground” typically refers to being outside. Some people think the riddle is a trick question and would use the word “floor” if it referred to inside the room.

Section 3 of 3:

More Clever Riddles to Solve

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1
You’re sleeping and your parents come over for a surprise breakfast. You get out pancakes, syrup, toast, and jam. What do you open first?
- Answer: Your eyes, because you were sleeping!
2
What 5-letter word becomes shorter when you add 2 letters?
- Answer: Short
3
You see a boat filled with people, but when you look again, there’s not a single person on it. How is that possible?
- Answer: Everyone on the boat is married.
4
A man gets caught in the rain without a hat or umbrella. When he gets home, not a single hair on his head is wet. How?
- Answer: The man is bald!
5
13 people walk into a hotel that has 12 rooms. Each guest wanted their own room. The bellboy solves the problem. How?
- Answer: The bellboy was one of the 13 people that walked into the hotel. The other 12 people are guests and each can get their own room.
6
There are 30 cows and 28 chickens in a field. How many didn’t?
- Answer: 10! If you say “28” out loud, it sounds like “20 ate,” so if there are 30 cows and 20 of them ate chickens, only 10 of them didn’t.
7
You have 2 coins that equal 30 cents, and one of them is not a nickel. What are the coins?
- Answer: A quarter and a nickel. Only one of the coins is not a nickel, but the other one is.
8
Four cars come to a 4-way stop from different directions at the same time. They can’t decide who should go first, so they all drive at the same time. How did none of the cars crash?
- Answer: All the cars were making a right turn.
9
You’re in a dark, cold room with a candle, wood stove, and gas lamp. If you only have one match left, what’s the first thing you light?
- Answer: The match
10
If you have a box that’s 5 inches wide and 10 inches long, how many coins can you put inside before it’s no longer empty?
- Answer: Only one! After adding the first coin, the box won’t be empty anymore!