Lunar New Year · once a year

Lantern Riddles

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Game guideLantern Riddles: full rules, strategy tips and FAQ

▶ Lunar New Year · Lateral thinking

Lantern Riddles

Guessing riddles written on lanterns is a Lantern Festival tradition. Buffer has lit ten lanterns, each with a riddle that needs a sideways look: read every word literally and look for the second meaning. Pick the answer before the lantern floats away.

3–5 min
Lateral thinking

How to play

Read the lantern. Each one carries a riddle with one clear answer, hidden behind a double meaning or a literal reading.
Answer before it floats. Four answers. Tap one or press 1 to 4 before the lantern drifts out of sight (30 to 40 seconds).
Hint for half. Stuck? The hint (or H) clears two wrong answers, but halves the points. A wrong answer or a lost lantern costs one of 3 lives.
Score. 50 per riddle plus up to 100 for speed, halved with a hint. Ten lanterns: 4 easy, 3 medium, 3 hard.

Quick tips

Read every word literally. "Which word is spelled wrong in every dictionary?" means exactly what it says.
Look for a second meaning. A bottle has a neck, a needle has an eye, a comb has teeth.

3 more tips in the Lantern Riddles guide →