34 Thanksgiving Riddles That Will Make Your Family Smile

Thanksgiving is more than a feast—it’s a time to gather, reflect, and enjoy family fun. While conversations simmer over turkey and pies, why not spark even more laughter with festive riddles? Whether you’re searching for ways to entertain kids, break the ice with guests, or just love a good brain teaser, these Thanksgiving riddles will do the trick. Dive in for witticisms about turkeys, Pilgrims, autumn foods, and the traditions that make the holiday memorable.

Why Add Thanksgiving Riddles to Your Celebration?

Beyond food and gratitude, Thanksgiving offers a chance to create joyful memories with loved ones. Riddles are a delightful, interactive activity that:

• Encourage creativity and thinking skills
• Entertain a crowd of all ages, from preschoolers to grandparents
• Break the ice at large gatherings
• Shift focus from screens to real-life conversation and laughter
• Become a new holiday tradition

Bring these riddles to your dinner table, or read them aloud while the pie finishes baking!

Thanksgiving Riddles for Kids and Families

These kid-friendly riddles are the perfect start to your holiday giggles. Test your family and see who has the quickest wit!

• Why did the turkey cross the road?
  Answer: To prove he wasn’t chicken.
• Why do Pilgrims’ pants always fall down?
  Answer: Because they wear their belt buckles on their hats.
• You see this festive event along the street on this very special day. From Felix to Mickey Mouse to Dora and Bugs Bunny, all of the people make way. What is it?
  Answer: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• Where did the Pilgrims stand when they landed?
  Answer: On their feet!
• I get roasted, but I am not coffee, and I share a name with a country. What am I?
  Answer: A turkey.
• I am a number, but you can’t count me, and at Thanksgiving, I’m dessert. What am I?
  Answer: Pie.
• What is Dracula’s all-time favorite holiday?
  Answer: Fangsgiving.
• I’m a flower that doesn’t bloom, sounds like a month, and floats over water. What am I?
  Answer: The Mayflower.
• The annual tradition each and every Thanksgiving Day is watching the great team sport the Lions and Cowboys play. What is it?
  Answer: Football.
• I’m an orange squash that is baked in a pie. What am I?
  Answer: A pumpkin.
• What never eats at the Thanksgiving table, but is always stuffed?
  Answer: A turkey!
• What smells the best at Thanksgiving dinner?
  Answer: Your nose!
• I can be smashed, baked, and carved, and you can find me everywhere on Thanksgiving. What am I?
  Answer: A pumpkin.
• Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
  Answer: The outside.
• What is brown, big, and red all over?
  Answer: A turkey covered in cranberry sauce.
• I have ears but cannot hear and flakes but have no hair. What am I?
  Answer: Corn.
• What is hard, a strange shape, and brings good luck on Thanksgiving?
  Answer: A wishbone!
• I’m extra helpful after Thanksgiving dinner, I’m full of holes but still hold water. What am I?
  Answer: A sponge.
• When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
  Answer: In the dictionary.
• I have feathers and a beak and get dressed once a year. What am I?
  Answer: A turkey!
• Why was the turkey the drummer in the school band?
  Answer: It always had two drumsticks!
• First you throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What am I?
  Answer: Corn on the cob.
• There were ten pairs of hands in the dining room on Thanksgiving, but only eight people eating. How?
  Answer: There was a clock on the wall.
• Why can a turkey fly higher than an ostrich?
  Answer: Ostriches can’t fly.
• What’s a sad cranberry called?
  Answer: A blueberry.
• What type of key has legs but can’t open a door?
  Answer: A tur-key!
• What do thankful, grateful, and joyful all have in common?
  Answer: They’re all full!
• Why did the Pilgrim decide to eat the candle?
  Answer: Because he wanted a light snack.
• What’s the best thing to put into a pumpkin pie?
  Answer: Your teeth!
• What is always in the middle of the table at Thanksgiving?
  Answer: The letter “B.”
• What happens when you cross a turkey with a centipede?
  Answer: You get a hundred drumsticks!
• At Thanksgiving dinner, which hand should you use to cut the turkey?
  Answer: Neither, you should use a knife.
• What kitchen appliance works hardest at Thanksgiving and isn’t trying to boast?
  Answer: The oven.
• What genre of music did Pilgrims like best?
  Answer: Plymouth Rock!
• What is always easy to get into and hard to get out of around Thanksgiving?
  Answer: Jeans!

How many did you solve before checking the answers?

Trickier Thanksgiving Riddles for Adults and Teens

Step up the challenge for the adults at the table. These riddles are a little tougher, combining wordplay, logic, and a dash of holiday humor.

• April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring?
  Answer: Pilgrims.
• If the Pilgrims were alive today, what would they be most famous for?
  Answer: Their age.
• Which is heavier: a ton of potatoes or a ton of turkey feathers?
  Answer: Neither, they both weigh a ton.
• A grandma, her daughter, and granddaughter are sitting at Thanksgiving dinner, but there are only three people. How?
  Answer: They are a grandmother, mother, and daughter—three generations.
• I’m tall and dark with a shiny gold buckle, but might make you chuckle. What am I?
  Answer: A pilgrim hat.
• I can be hot or cold and made with fruit, vegetable, or meat. Either way, on the Thanksgiving table, I’m a treat. What am I?
  Answer: A pie.
• I am an agricultural season and also a moon. Take away three letters and I become an item of clothing. What am I?
  Answer: The harvest (remove ‘vest’ and you’re left with ‘har’).
• Why did Johnny get low grades after Thanksgiving?
  Answer: Because everything is marked down after the holidays.
• Where do turkeys come from if apples and pears come from trees?
  Answer: The poul-tree!
• What’s blue and covered with lots of feathers?
  Answer: A turkey holding its breath.
• How did the chicken, turkey, pheasant, duck, and goose get into trouble?
  Answer: It’s because of their fowl language.

Thanksgiving Riddle Table: Who Solves Them Best?

Making Thanksgiving Riddles a Tradition

Bringing light-hearted competition or sharing funny riddles before dessert is a memorable, low-cost way to bond:

• Write riddles on place cards and let guests guess before finding their seats
• Hold a riddle contest with a small prize for the winner
• Ask each guest to bring a favorite riddle to share
• Use riddles as an icebreaker for family or friend gatherings with new faces

Original riddles personalized for family members or based on your own traditions make the activity even more special.

Frequently Asked Questions About Thanksgiving Riddles

Carry On the Thanksgiving Cheer

From turkey legs to pumpkin pies, Thanksgiving is about savoring the little joys—especially the laughter woven through every shared riddle and giggle. Bring these riddles to your holiday table, and you may just spark a new tradition of humor, wordplay, and heartwarming connection. Happy Thanksgiving!