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30 Emoji Riddles to Stump Your Friends

Put your skills to the test to see if you can crack these emoji riddles.

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Combined image of emojis and plus signs
rd.com, Getty Images (12)

If you love Pictionary, you’ll absolutely get a kick out of these emoji riddles—and all you need is your phone. Text your friends to see if you can stump them or even share on Facebook for a larger group activity. While some are easier than others, they will certainly get you thinking. Maybe you can even come up with a few ideas of your own! If you’re looking for ways to challenge yourself beyond just these emoji riddles, try some rebus puzzles, these tricky “what am I?” riddles, and even get your children in on the fun with the best riddles for kids. And if those are even too easy for you, we guarantee these challenging riddles will trick you.

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Heart emoji + letter emoji
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Riddle: Let’s start simple

Answer: Love letter

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Watch emoji + dog emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: We could all use one of these

Answer: Watch dog

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Spider emoji + man emoji
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Riddle: A classic

Answer: Spiderman

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Arrow pointing left emoji + Number 2 emoji + square emoji + Number 1 emoji
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Riddle: Starting over

Answer: Back to square one

RELATED50 Easy Riddles (with Answers) Anyone Can Solve

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Cassette emoji + caterpillar emoji (worm)
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Riddle: Yucky

Answer: Tapeworm

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Magnifying glass emoji + fish emoji
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Riddle: The search is on

Answer: Finding Nemo

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Earth emoji + cup emoji
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Riddle: A large event

Answer: World cup

RELATED12 Detective Riddles Only the Smartest People Can Solve

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Fishing emoji + Number 2 emoji (twice)
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Riddle: No escape

Answer: Catch-22

RELATED: Christmas Riddles

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Bee emoji + Arrow pointing right emoji + “Back” emoji
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Riddle: Later gater! 

Answer: Be right back

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Lion emoji + crown emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: The circle of life

Answer: The Lion King

RELATED: 12 Math Riddles Only the Smartest Can Get Right

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Mountain emoji + raindrop emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: A fizzy drink

Answer: Mountain Dew

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Star emoji + money emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: A little harder

Answer: Starbucks

RELATED: This Is What Each Heart Emoji Means

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Ghost emoji + house emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: Spooky

Answer: Haunted house

RELATED: 25 Optical Illusions That Will Make Your Brain Hurt

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Cat emoji + pointing emoji + hat emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (3)

Riddle: Rhyming

Answer: The Cat in the Hat

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Angry emoji + man emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: Seven seasons later…

Answer: Mad Men

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Finger holding up number one emoji + blue circle emoji + moon emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: So rare

Answer: Once in a blue moon

RELATED15 Word Puzzles That Will Leave You Stumped

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Snowflake emoji + teacup emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: Refreshing

Answer: Iced tea

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Face with mask emoji + two lamb emojis
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: Shh!

Answer: Silence of the Lambs

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Coffee cup emoji + heartbreak emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (2)

Riddle: Time’s up

Answer: Coffee break

RELATED26 Logic Puzzles That Will Keep You Guessing

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Butter emoji + hand emoji
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Riddle: Yummy

Answer: Butterfingers

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Lion emoji + sleeping emoji + night emoji
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Riddle: Start singing

Answer: The lion sleeps tonight

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Clock emoji + hammer emoji + orange emoji
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Riddle: Dystopian crime

Answer: A Clockwork Orange

RELATED20 Word Search Puzzles You Can Print for Free

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Devil emoji + high heel emoji + handbag emoji
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Riddle: Meryl Streep’s finest

Answer: The Devil Wears Prada

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Rain emoji + cat emoji + dog emoji
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Riddle: Poor weather

Answer: Raining cats and dogs

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Waving emoji + sun emoji
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Riddle: Guess the animal

Answer: Bison

RELATED: 14 Tricky Crossword Puzzle Clues That’ll Leave You Stumped

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Number 10 emoji + point right emoji + eyes emoji
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Riddle: Where do you live?

Answer: Tennessee

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Apple emoji + daytime emoji + doctor emoji + stop emoji
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Riddle: Stay healthy

Answer: An apple a day keeps the doctor away

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Angry emoji + gas emoji + car emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (3)

Riddle: It’s a country

Answer: Madagascar

RELATED15 Hardest Puzzles You Can Get on Amazon

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Dancing emoji + star emoji
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Riddle: Your favorite TV show

Answer: Dancing with the Stars

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Alien emoji + phone emoji + house emoji
rd.com, Getty Images (3)

Riddle: Elliot and Gertie 

Answer: ET phone home

Next, challenge yourself with the best riddles that will keep your brain sharp.

Emma Taubenfeld
Emma Taubenfeld is a former assistant editor for Reader’s Digest who writes about digital lifestyle topics such as memes, social media captions, pickup lines and cute pets. When she’s not working, you can find Emma reading corny young adult novels, creating carefully curated playlists and figuring out how to spice up boxed mac and cheese.