Someone’s Mother Has Four Sons: Try to Solve the Viral Riddle
Updated: Jul. 19, 2021
It's the riddle everyone wants to know the answer to, but can YOU solve it?
“Someone’s mother has four sons” is how one of the latest viral riddles starts. The answer that seems obvious turns out to be wrong. And the correct answer can elude even the best brains. So, it’s no wonder why the “Someone’s mother” riddle has become so popular on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp—and why everyone is clamoring to know the answer.
Read on for a detailed explanation of how to arrive at that answer.
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The “Someone’s mother riddle”
The entire riddle goes like this: Someone’s mother has four sons: North, West, and South. What is the name of the fourth son?
If your instinct is to blurt out, “EAST!“ you aren’t alone. This is the mistake most people make, because we’re so conditioned to associate the four cardinal directions with each other. And, of course, the riddle is purposely set up to deceive us this way.
But to answer the someone’s mother riddle correctly, we have to forgo that pattern of thinking. It helps to read the question again, more slowly. Let’s start with the very first word: Someone. Someone could be anyone, really. So, let’s pick someone to stand in for Someone. I’ll call him Theodore.
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Now, instead of “Someone’s mother,” we have, “Theodore’s mother has four sons: North, West, and South.” And who is that fourth son? Why, it’s Theodore, of course!
So, looking back at the original question, it’s now clear that the correct answer is: Someone!
Did you enjoy the “Someone’s mother has four sons” riddle? If so, you’ll love these other viral riddles.
