Daily Riddle: Make a Pair of Synonyms by Moving a Single Letter from One Word to the Other

Riddles are a fun way to pass time and keep busy while tasking the brain. Below are three tricky riddles that promise to keep you on your toes while improving your vocabulary.

If you’re looking for a fun way to daily exercise your brain, picking up a riddle is a wonderful option. Not only are you guaranteed an exciting time, but your mental improvement shows up in other aspects of your life.

Unfortunately, some people run away from riddles because they believe it is too hard to solve. This doesn’t have to be the case if you understand that most times, the answer to a riddle is right in the question.

BIRTHDAY DILEMMA

Four sisters, Sophie, Olivia, Naomi, and Debra, were each born in the different “ember” months — September, October, November, and December. One day while they were discussing, Olivia said:

“This is terrible. None of us have an initial that matches the initial of her birth month."

The sister born in September said she doesn’t mind that. However, Naomi interjected, saying, “That's easy for you to say. It would at least be cool if the initial of my birth month were a vowel.” Can you tell which month each girl was born?

Hint: The answer lies in both Olivia and Noami’s statements.

THE MARRIAGE CHOICE

Duke Bluebottom is about to marry, and he has to choose between three women, Ava, Bailey, and Cecilia. Below are some facts about the girls as regards the features, blue eyes, red hair, and 5’11”

1. Of Ava and Bailey:

a. Either they both have blue eyes, or neither has blue eyes.

b. One has red hair, and the other does not.

2. Of Ava and Cecilia:

a. Either they both have red hair, or neither has red hair.

b. One is 5'11," and the other is not.

3. Of Bailey and Cecilia:

a. One has blue eyes, and the other does not.

b. One is 5'11," and the other is not.

The rule for choosing a bride is that Mr. Bluebottom will marry the woman with the least number of features if any of them has precisely two out of the three features.

If any of the three women has exactly one of the three characteristics, Mr. Bluebottom will marry the one with the highest number of characteristics. Who do you think he will marry?

THE SYNONYM CHALLENGE

Below are a pair of five words that require you to move just one letter to the other to make a pair of synonyms. For example, take Boast - Hip. If you carry ‘s’ from boast to hip, you’ll form Boat - Ship.

1. Inks - Tiles

2. Gaze - Freed

3. Ride - Relive

4. Snag - Cold

5. Snail - Pike

Hint: 1. Relationships

2. Eat

3. Alleviate

4. Correction

5. Fasten

FIND THE ANSWERS

Riddle #1: Sophie was born in October, Olivia was born in November, Naomi was born in December, and Debra was born in September. If you take into account the two different statements, Naomi wasn’t born in November.

She doesn’t have an initial that matches her birth month, and it doesn’t start with a vowel. Since she was talking to the girl born in September, it can’t be September. Hence, her month is December.

Sophie can’t be the girl born in September. Since the conversation involved Olivia and Naomi, the answer is Dawn. This leaves Sophie and Olivia contending for October and November.

We already know that Olivia can’t be in October, so her month is November. This means Sophie was born in October.

Riddle #2: Facts 1a and 3a tell us that Cecilia is either the only one with blue eyes or the only one without blue eyes. Facts 1b and 2a tell us that Bailey is either the only one with red hair or the only one without red hair.

Facts 2b and 3b tell us that Cecilia is either the only one who is 5'11" or the only one who isn't 5'11". Fact 4 means that no one woman can have one characteristic while another has two characteristics. This gives us two scenarios:

1. Ava has blue eyes, does not have red hair, and is 5'11". Bailey has blue eyes, red hair, and is 5'11". Cecilia does not have blue eyes, does not have red hair, and is not 5'11".

2. Ava does not have blue eyes, has red hair, and is not 5'11". Bailey does not have blue eyes, does not have red hair, and is not 5'11". Cecilia has blue eyes, red hair, and is 5'11".

Fact 4a tells us that in scenario 1, Mr. Bluebottom will marry Cecilia. Fact 4b tells us that in scenario 2, Mr. Bluebottom will marry Cecilia.

Riddle #3: Answer: 1. Links - Ties

2. Graze - Feed

3. Rid - Relieve

4. Nag-Scold

5. Nail - Spike