Many riddles involve wordplay that often tricks the human mind. Some of them leave us scratching our heads for the right answers, and this one here is the same.
This riddle that went viral online had people wracking their brains. Although the solution might seem obscure and mysterious at first, the answer might be way simpler than you imagined.
Here is the riddle posted by Lacey, who claims the riddle messed with her head.
The question in the photo reads, “What has 4 letters, sometimes 9 letters, but never has 5 letters.”
See if you can figure out the answer to this fairly simple question, and then check below for a few hints and an explanation.
Did you get it? If not, don’t worry; you are not the only one! Comments on Lacey’s post show just how many people got frustrated over this brainteaser.
One social media user wrote, “I’m from Africa and I don’t know you but I need the answer.”
A third social media user wracked their brain and finally after four days arrived at the correct answer.
If you are one of those who still haven’t figured out the answer to this mind-bending riddle, here is the explanation.
Well, let’s go over it and you will see how simple it really is:
Make sure you read each part as a statement, not a question, by reading it slowly.
So, the first part would be: “What has four letters.“ Just count them: ”w-h-a-t"—four letters. Get it?
“Sometimes has nine letters”—a first-grader’s riddle, right? Count again: “s-o-m-e-t-i-m-e-s”—nine letters.
Now you know the last part is correct: “n-e-v-e-r”—five letters.
Alternatively, one could also read it as “but,” which has 3 letters, “never has 5 letters.” That is, “but” shall always have 3 letters, and shall never has 5 letters. And that is also true!
Once our brains are wired a certain way, we tend to follow familiar patterns without thinking twice. These kinds of puzzles help us expand our minds beyond the everyday—indeed a little bit of CrossFit for the brain!
