What question can you never answer yes to? – Riddle Answer + Meaning

Riddle: What question can you never answer yes to?

Answer: Are you asleep yet?

Riddle Explanation + Meaning

This riddle is all about thinking through the situation it describes.

If you're asked, "Are you asleep yet?" and you are actually asleep, you can't respond because... well, you're asleep.

Sleeping people can't hear questions or give answers.

On the other hand, if you answer "yes," that means you are not asleep, because responding requires you to be awake.

So, the question "Are you asleep yet?" is unique because if you're able to answer it at all, the answer can only be "no."

The cleverness of the riddle lies in its play on the states of being awake and asleep, and how our ability to respond to questions changes depending on which state we are in.

Why the answer is "Are you asleep yet?"

This riddle is a small logic puzzle. If you are asleep, you cannot hear the question or reply at all. If you are awake enough to say "yes", then the true answer is "no". So there is no moment when "yes" can be both spoken and true. The question contains its own trap, which is why the word "never" in the riddle is completely accurate.

It is harder than it looks because people start by searching for a rude or embarrassing question, like one nobody would admit to. That is a reasonable guess, but it is about choice, while this riddle is about impossibility. Other answers work with the same logic, such as "Are you unconscious?" or "Have you stopped listening?", which you cannot honestly answer yes to either. "Are you asleep yet?" is the family-friendly favorite, and parents know it well from bedtime.

Where this riddle comes from

This is a classic riddle of unknown origin. It is a logic riddle based on a self-defeating question, where answering changes the facts. Riddles like this are sometimes called paradox riddles, and they are a good first step toward the kinds of puzzles found in logic and philosophy.

3 more riddles like this one