Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all of the things you have to be thankful for and to spend time with those you love the most. If you happen to be hosting the big feast at your house this year and need to find a few icebreakers, or are looking for some fun activities to keep your little ones occupied while they wait for the food, we have a list of great Thanksgiving riddles that are sure to do the trick.

While you could always go with silly jokes or fall puns, challenging riddles will get your family and friends to really engage with each other, and even work together to find the answers. You could even turn it into a festive game by having your guests team up and give out prizes to whoever uncovers the answer to the most difficult riddles first. And these puzzles aren’t just fun for kids, there are plenty of hard riddles that will even stump adults. If you thought you already knew why a turkey might cross the road, you may want to think again. Check out the fun below.

can’t fly

• Q: Where do Thanksgiving birds go on vacation? A: Turkey.
• Q: Why did the turkey cross the road? A: To prove he wasn’t chicken.
• Q: What do you call unhappy cranberries? A: Blueberries.
• Q: Why did all the pecans go to space? A: They were Astro-nuts!
• Q: What is the key to a good dinner? A: A tur-key.
• Q: Where do you find a turkey with no legs? A: Right where you left it.

• Q: I am served at Thanksgiving dinner. I have ears, but I cannot hear. My outside is good enough to eat, but my inside gets thrown away. What am I? A: Corn
• Q: I am a horn that is filled with all the season’s harvest. What am I? A: Cornucopia.
• Q: Can a turkey fly higher than an ostrich? A: Ostriches can’t fly.
• Q: What smells the best at Thanksgiving dinner? A: Your nose.
• Q: What’s has feathers, a bowed head and kneels? A: A turkey praying to not be eaten.
• Q: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? A: The outside.
• Q: What kind of potatoes say “oui-oui-buzz-buzz”? A: French flies.
• Q: What happened to the turkey that got into a fight? A: He got the stuffing knocked out of him.
• Q: On Thanksgiving, what’s always in the middle of the table? A: The letter b.
• Q: What’s the sleepiest thing at the Thanksgiving table? A: Nap-kins.
• Q: I’m orange and round and catch your eye. I’m also delicious when baked in a pie. What am I? A: A Pumpkin.
• Q: A fruit eaten with turkey will help fill your belly. It’s great as a sauce and also as jelly. What is it? A: Cranberry.
• Q: Why did the cranberries turn red? A: Because they saw the turkey dressing.
• Q: I am a kitchen appliance, but I am not trying to boast. On Thanksgiving, your delicious turkey is what I roast. What am I? A: An oven.
• Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey with a centipede? A: 100 drumsticks.
• Q: Where do turkeys go to dance? A: The Butter Ball!

• Q: What do you get when you cross a pumpkin with a football? A: A squash touchdown!
• Q: Why did the gravy get a ticket? A: Because it was too saucy!
• Q: At Thanksgiving dinner, which hand should you cut your turkey with? A: Neither, you should use a knife.
• Q: What can never be eaten at Thanksgiving dinner? A: Thanksgiving brunch.
• Q: What is a mathematician’s favorite Thanksgiving food? A: Sweet Potato Pi.
• Q: Most people eat this, and that is no surprise. It tastes great as chips and also as fries. What am I? A: A Potato.
• Q: What is brown, big, and red all over? A: A turkey with a scoop of cranberry sauce.
• Q: What is the main difference between Thanksgiving and April Fools’ Day? A: On one, you are thankful and on the other, you are prankful.
• Q: Why is Johnny always getting low grades every Thanksgiving? A: Because everything is marked down after the holidays.
• Q: You reap what you sow because of this, remove the first three letters, and it becomes an object you can wear. What is it? A: harvest.
• Q: What do you call a pet squash? A: Call it anything you want because it won’t hear you!
• Q: If a tur-key has a key, and a don-key also has a key, what would you expect a monkey to have? A: A banana.
• Q: Why did the chewing gum cross the road? A: It was stuck on the turkey’s foot!
• Q: Where did corn come from? A: The stalk brought it.

• Q: I can be hot or cold. I can be made with fruit, vegetables or meat. Either way you see it, on a Thanksgiving table, I am always a treat. What am I? A: Pie.
• Q: Why did the pheasant, duck, turkey and goose get into trouble? A: Because of their fowl language.
• Q: At the start of eternity, at the end of time and space, lies the beginning of the end and the end of every place. What is it? A: 4. The letter E.
• Q: What is hard, oddly-shaped, and brings you good fortune on Thanksgiving? A: A wishbone
• Q: Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? A: It had 24 carrots.
• Q: Why did the farmer run a steamroller over his potato field on Thanksgiving Day? A: He wanted to harvest mashed potatoes.
• Q: If you call a big turkey a gobbler, what do you call a little one? A: A goblet.
• Q: What does an English turkey say to another English turkey on Thanksgiving morning? A: “To be or not to be roasted, that is the question.”

• Q: What is something that describes both political talk and filling up your plate of food? A: Choosing sides.
• Q: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? A: The Pilgrims.
• Q: What do you get when a turkey lays an egg on top of a barn? A: An eggroll.
• Q: What’s a turkey’s favorite Thanksgiving food? A: Nothing; it’s already stuffed.
• Q: When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving? A: In the dictionary.
• Q: What animal has the worst eating habits? A: The turkey, because it gobbles everything up!
• Q: What do turkeys eat for dessert? A: Peach gobbler.
• Q: Why did the police take the turkey in for questioning?A: He suspected fowl play.
• Q: If fruit comes from fruit trees, where do turkeys come from? A: Poul-trees
• Q: What did the small turkeys tell the big turkey bully? A: Peck on someone your own size!
• Q: What do you call a running turkey? A: Fast food.
• Q: What sound does a limping turkey make? A:“Wobble, wobble!”
• Q: If it took 3 women 4 hours to roast a turkey, how long would it take 4 women to roast the same turkey? A: None, the turkey is already roasted.
• Q: What do grateful, thankful, wonderful and joyful have all in common? A: They are all stuffed. ie. “full.”
• Q: What sound does a turkey’s phone make? A: “Wing, wing”

• Q: What’s the difference between a pirate and a cranberry farmer? A: A pirate buries his treasure, but a cranberry farmer treasures his berries.
• Q: Why do turkeys lay eggs? A: If they dropped them, they’d break.
• Q: What did the salad say to the butter who kept making jokes? A: You’re on a roll.
• Q: What is the difference between a chicken and a turkey? A: Chickens celebrate Thanksgiving
• Q: What is that favorite sport of pumpkins and gourds? A: Squash
• Q: What do you call a turkey on the day after Thanksgiving? A: Lucky.

Staff Writer

Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.