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in Activities for Kids

30 Tricky Math Riddles for Middle School with Answers

Math riddles are great for students. We got 30 tricky math riddles for middle school kids, and every question comes with an answer. Are you ready to solve these math questions? Let’s see!

If you are looking for easier math questions, check out these fun and easy math riddles first!

tricky math riddles for middle school

Tricky Math Riddles for Middle School

Math Riddles for Middle School

Your kids or students are probably somewhat familiar with word riddles. They are lots of fun. Why? Because the answers aren’t too obvious, and you have to think out of the box to get the answer. It’s the same with math riddles. The only difference is that math riddles are mostly associated with numbers.

Benefits of Math Riddles

Math riddles are fun, but that’s not the only reason why they are awesome. Math riddles for kids are also often used for the purpose of education. Here’s why.

  • Math riddles improve children’s problem-solving skills.
  • Math riddles help kids think creatively.
  • Math riddles encourage perseverance. Kids will not give up until they get the answer!
  • Math riddles make math, in general, more fun for kids.
  • Math riddles boost confidence and encourage kids to take on challenges.
tricky math riddle

Tricky Math Riddles

Tricky Math Riddles for Middle School

Let’s see if you can get the answers to these math word questions.

Math Riddle for Middle School Students

  1. How much dirt is there in a hold that is 3.45m by 6.21m? Hint: You don’t need a calculator.
    Answer: None, it’s a hole!
  2. A phone and case cost $110 in total. The price of the phone is $100 more than the case. How much is the phone?
    Answer: $105
  3. An empty bus pulls up to a stop, and 10 people get on. At the next stop, five people get off, and twice as many people get on as at the first stop. At the third stop, 25 get off. How many people are on the bus?
    Answer: one – the driver
  4. During what month do people sleep the least?
    Answer: February – it has the fewest days
  5. I bought four things at the store costing $1.24, $2.21, $3, and $4.21. Will $10 be enough?
    Answer: No, the total comes to $10.66.
  6. I’m having a party and want to order pizza. Each pizza has 8 slices, and I’ll invite 22 people to my party. Each person will probably eat 3 slices. How many pizzas should I order?
    Answer: 9 pizzas to be safe. You will have a few leftovers, though.
  7. In a class, there are 12 kids. 6 kids are wearing socks, 4 are wearing shoes, and 3 are wearing both. How many have bare feet?
    Answer: 5 have bare feet
  8. When can you add 2 to 11 and get 1 as the correct answer?
    Answer: When it is in time. 11:00 + 2 hours = 1:00
  9. What do math students say to each other?
    Answer: I have so many problems.
  10. What is a shape with 8 sides called?
    Answer: octagon
  11. Ethan is saving up to buy a video game that costs $100. He saves $6 from his allowance each week. How long will it take him to save enough money?
    Answer: 17 weeks
  12. Mr. Kim has 5 sons. Each of his sons has a sister. How many children does Mr. Kim have?
    Answer: 6 – All sons have the same sister.
  13. Jerry has a part-time job that pays $8,75/hour. He works every day after school for 2 hours a day. How much money does he make in a week?
    Answer: $87.50
  14. There are six chocolates in a basket. Six people each take one chocolate. How can it be that one chocolate is left in the basket?
    Answer: The last person took the basket with the chocolate in it.
  15. How many sides does a nonagon have?
    Answer: nine
  16. You have 3 water bottles. Each is 1 liter. The first bottle has 1/4 left, and the second has 1/2 remaining. The third one is full. How much water do you have?
    Answer: 1.75 liters (0.25 + 0.5 +1)
  17. How many times can you subtract 10 from the number 10,000?
    Answer: Only once.
  18. What is an angle called if it’s more than 90 degrees?
    Answer: obtuse
  19. What comes after a trillion?
    Answer: quadrillion
  20. Kevin finished half of his report at school. He finishes another quarter after school. How much does he have left to finish?
    Answer: a quarter (1 – 1/2 – 1/4)
  21. What is the next number? 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, __?
    Answer: 22
  22. Rian has one child, a boy. He’s having another child. What chance does he have of having another boy?
    Answer: 50%
  23. At an ice cream shop, a single scoop costs $5. A double scoop costs $7. A triple scoop costs $8. What’s the best value?
    Answer: The trip scoop
  24. Maria made brownies. She cuts the brownies into 12 equal pieces. How many cuts did she make?
    Answer: 5 cuts (2 vertical, 3 horizontal)
  25. Hailey has 3 library books at home. She finished reading one of them and returned it. Then her mom bought her two books. How many books does she currently have at home?
    Answer: four (3 – 1 + 2)
  26. How can you add eight eights and get 1,000?
    Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 +8 + 8
  27. What is the next number? 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, __?
    Answer: 63
  28. What is the next number? 2, 4, 6, 10, 16, __?
    Answer: 26
  29. What is the perimeter of a circle called?
    Answer: circumference
  30. As a percentage, what is 37/300?
    Answer: 12.3%

Even more difficult trivia here: Difficult Trivia for Kids with Answers.

FAQs About Middle School Math Riddles

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about math word challenges for middle school students.

What are some good math riddles for middle school?

Here are some good math riddles for middle school students:

  • Riddle: A rectangle has a length of 10 cm and a width of 5 cm. What is the area of the rectangle?
    Answer: 50 cm^2
  • Riddle: The ratio of the number of boys to the number of girls in a class is 3:4. If there are 21 boys in the class, how many students are in the class in total?
    Answer: 49
  • Riddle: A car travels 250 miles in 5 hours. What is the average speed of the care in miles per hour?
    Answer: 50 miles

How can 8 plus 8 equal 4?

If you want to solve this math riddle, you have to think in terms of time: 8 AM + 8 hours = 4 PM.

How can I make math fun for 7th grade?

In middle school, fear of math starts to grow in the minds of students. If you want to make math fun for 7th grade, or students in any other grade, you want to eliminate that fear. A great way to do this is to solve math riddles together. Riddles aren’t tests, so kids don’t have to be scared of getting them wrong. They have unlimited tries to solve a challenging question.

middle school math riddles

Middle School Math Riddles

Math Riddles for Middle School: Join the Conversation

What are your thoughts on these math questions? Numbers can be scary. But if they are in words, or if they are in a puzzle form, it becomes kind of fun. That’s why middle school kids who don’t like math also find math riddles fun. Try them with your kids or students, and let us know how it went.

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 20 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 100 books for English teachers and English learners, including 101 ESL Activities for Teenagers and Adults, Great Debates for ESL/EFL, and 1001 English Expressions and Phrases. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

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