When I first started working on Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers, I thought it would be easy but I was wrong.
I still remember a student looking at a simple riddle and saying, I don’t get it. Even I froze for a moment.
But instead of giving up, I sat with the student and said, Let’s solve it together.
Suddenly the whole class got interested, as if we were cracking a secret code.
That day I learned that middle schoolers need riddles that are fun, friendly, and a little adventurous.
So as you explore these riddles, imagine you and I solving them side by side. If I could handle that moment, you can handle any riddle too.
Let’s dive in!
Algebra Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- I am a number that, when doubled and then added to 6, becomes 20. What am I?
Answer: 7 - If x + 5 = 17, what is x?
Answer: 12 - A number minus 9 equals 4. What is the number?
Answer: 13 - Twice a number is 18. What is the number?
Answer: 9 - If 3x = 21, what is x?
Answer: 7 - A number plus 8 equals 30. What is it?
Answer: 22 - If x − 4 = 15, what is x?
Answer: 19 - A number multiplied by 5 equals 45. What is it?
Answer: 9 - If 2x + 4 = 12, what is x?
Answer: 4 - A number divided by 3 equals 6. What is it?
Answer: 18 - If x + x = 16, what is x?
Answer: 8 - A number minus 12 equals 3. What is it?
Answer: 15 - If 4x = 32, what is x?
Answer: 8 - A number plus 2 times itself equals 21. What is it?
Answer: 7 - If x − 7 = 8, what is x?
Answer: 15
Geometry Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- I have 3 sides and 3 angles. What shape am I?
Answer: Triangle - Which shape has no corners and no edges?
Answer: Circle - What shape has 4 equal sides and 4 right angles?
Answer: Square - Which 3D shape has 6 faces, all rectangles?
Answer: Rectangular prism - What do you call a straight line from the center of a circle to its edge?
Answer: Radius - Which angle is greater than 90° but less than 180°?
Answer: Obtuse angle - What shape has only 1 curved face?
Answer: Sphere - Which polygon has 8 sides?
Answer: Octagon - What do you call a shape with 5 sides?
Answer: Pentagon - Which triangle has all sides different?
Answer: Scalene - What angle measures exactly 90°?
Answer: Right angle - What shape has 4 equal sides but no right angles?
Answer: Rhombus - Which shape has 2 parallel sides?
Answer: Trapezoid - A 3D triangle is called what?
Answer: Pyramid - What is half of a diameter?
Answer: Radius
Fractions Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- What is half of 1/2?
Answer: 1/4 - What is bigger: 3/4 or 2/3?
Answer: 3/4 - What is 1/3 of 12?
Answer: 4 - Add 1/2 + 1/2.
Answer: 1 - Subtract 3/4 − 1/4.
Answer: 1/2 - What is 2/5 of 20?
Answer: 8 - Which is larger: 5/6 or 4/5?
Answer: 5/6 - What is 1/4 of 16?
Answer: 4 - What is 2/3 of 9?
Answer: 6 - What is 1/8 of 40?
Answer: 5 - Add 1/3 + 1/6.
Answer: 1/2 - What fraction of an hour is 15 minutes?
Answer: 1/4 - What is 3/4 of 20?
Answer: 15 - Subtract 5/6 − 1/6.
Answer: 2/3 - Add 2/5 + 1/5.
Answer: 3/5
Word Problem Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- I have 5 apples, give away 2. How many left?
Answer: 3 - If a class has 20 students and 5 are absent, how many are present?
Answer: 15 - A book costs $12, you have $20. How much change?
Answer: $8 - A cat has 4 kittens. Each kitten has 4 toys. How many toys?
Answer: 16 - You walked 3 miles east and 4 miles west. How far total?
Answer: 7 miles - A bag has 10 candies. You add 5 more. Total?
Answer: 15 - You read 8 pages Monday and 7 Tuesday. Total?
Answer: 15 - A pencil pack has 12 pencils. You split into 3 groups. How many each?
Answer: 4 - A bike costs $100. You save $10 a week. After 5 weeks?
Answer: $50 - A girl buys 3 notebooks for $2 each. Total?
Answer: $6 - You have 50 stickers and give 20 away. How many left?
Answer: 30 - A movie lasts 120 minutes. How many hours?
Answer: 2 - A 30 question test has 10 solved. How many unsolved?
Answer: 20 - A pizza has 8 slices. You eat 3. How many left?
Answer: 5 - A train moves 60 mph. How far in 2 hours?
Answer: 120 miles
Logic Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- I am even but not divisible by 4. I am between 10 and 14.
Answer: 12 - What two numbers multiply to 36 and add to 15?
Answer: 12 and 3 - I’m a number that remains the same when multiplied by 1.
Answer: Any number - I am a number whose digits add up to 9 and I’m between 20 and 30.
Answer: 27 - If you double me and subtract 4, you get 10.
Answer: 7 - What number becomes smaller when you add to it?
Answer: A negative number - I am a number that is my own square.
Answer: 0 or 1 - Which number is always even?
Answer: 0 - I am the only even prime number.
Answer: 2 - What two numbers add to 10 but multiply to 21?
Answer: 7 and 3 - I double every time I’m added to myself. Who am I?
Answer: Any number - What number is equal to its digits reversed times 3?
Answer: None - I’m greater than 50 but less than 60 and divisible by 6.
Answer: 54 - What number increases by 1 when its digits reverse?
Answer: 10 (trick) - The more you add me, the less I become.
Answer: Time
Probability Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- What’s the probability of flipping heads on a coin?
Answer: 1/2 - What’s the probability of rolling a 3 on a fair die?
Answer: 1/6 - Two coins are flipped. Probability both land tails?
Answer: 1/4 - A bag has 1 red and 1 blue marble. Chance of red?
Answer: 1/2 - A bag has 3 red and 1 blue. Chance of blue?
Answer: 1/4 - Roll a die. Chance of an even number?
Answer: 1/2 - Pick a card from 1–10. Chance of picking 5?
Answer: 1/10 - Roll two dice. Chance of getting 1 on both?
Answer: 1/36 - Pick a vowel from A, B, C, D, E.
Answer: 2/5 - Spin a wheel with 4 equal sections. Chance of 1 section?
Answer: 1/4 - Draw a heart from a full deck?
Answer: 1/4 - Pick an odd number from 1–6.
Answer: 1/2 - Pick a random day. Chance it’s Monday?
Answer: 1/7 - Pick a number from 1–20 divisible by 5.
Answer: 1/5 - Roll a die. Chance of more than 4?
Answer: 1/3
Arithmetic Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- What is 12 × 3?
Answer: 36 - What is 45 ÷ 5?
Answer: 9 - What is 8 × 7?
Answer: 56 - What is 100 − 37?
Answer: 63 - What is 25 + 19?
Answer: 44 - What is 72 ÷ 9?
Answer: 8 - What is 14 × 4?
Answer: 56 - What is 90 ÷ 10?
Answer: 9 - What is 15 + 27?
Answer: 42 - What is 18 × 3?
Answer: 54 - What is 64 − 28?
Answer: 36 - What is 49 ÷ 7?
Answer: 7 - What is 22 + 33?
Answer: 55 - What is 16 × 5?
Answer: 80 - What is 100 ÷ 4?
Answer: 25
Mixed Challenge Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers
- I am an odd number. Remove a letter and I become even.
Answer: Seven - I am a 2 digit number. My tens digit is 4 more than my ones digit. I am between 40 and 60.
Answer: 51 - What number multiplied by 0 always gives 0?
Answer: Any number - What 3 numbers add to 6 and multiply to 6?
Answer: 1, 2, 3 - I am a number that is the same upside down.
Answer: 0 or 8 - I’m a 3 digit number. All digits are the same.
Answer: 111, 222, etc. - What number starts with 1 but ends with nothing?
Answer: 10 - Add me to myself and I stay the same.
Answer: 0 - What number increases when flipped?
Answer: 6 → 9 - I’m a number between 1 and 10, neither prime nor composite.
Answer: 1 - What number subtracts to itself when subtracted by itself?
Answer: Any number - Which number is both even and odd?
Answer: None - What number is always in front of math?
Answer: M - What number do you get if you divide 100 by 4 twice?
Answer: 25, then 6.25 - What 2 numbers multiply to 100 but add to 30?
Answer: None
Conclusion
These math riddles for middle schoolers bring creativity, logic, and fun into learning.
They’re perfect for classrooms, warm ups, challenges, or inspiring problem solving confidence.
With every riddle students solve, they sharpen their thinking and enjoy math more than ever!
The author behind RiddleBurst.com loves creating fun, clever, and unique riddles for all ages. Their goal is to challenge minds, bring smiles, and make learning through riddles both engaging and enjoyable.
