Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

riddle

/ˈɹɪdəl/ noun

In Latin: aenigma Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about riddle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A difficult problem.
A coarse sieve (as for gravel).

verb

Pierce with many holes.
The bullets riddled his body
Set a difficult problem or riddle.
riddle me a riddle
Separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff.

Origin

From Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rǣdels, rǣdelse (“counsel, opinion, imagination, riddle”), from Proto-West Germanic *rādislī (“counsel, conjecture”). Analyzable as rede (“advice”) + -le. Akin to Old English rǣdan (“to read, advise, interpret”). Cognate with Dutch raadsel, German Rätsel.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word