12 Logic Puzzles That Will Test Your Smarts
As an academic discipline, logic is the study of reasoning. Logic puzzles, therefore, involve making a series of inferences and assessing them using reasoning. Easier logic puzzles for kids tend to have simpler setups—and therefore fewer possibilities to examine and eliminate. Harder logic puzzles for adults, however, are often deceptively short. They seem simple at first, but the solver is often left wondering how there could really be enough information to figure them out.
Like some of the hardest math puzzles and math riddles, these puzzles can get very complex. If you look for them online, you’ll find lots of examples of logic puzzles that come with grids to help you keep track of your thinking as you make your way through the various clues.
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What is a logic puzzle?
These puzzles come in various forms and can have a nearly limitless number of different themes. But, at their core, logic puzzles present a series of clues and constraints. Solvers then must process each in turn to identify contradictions and eliminate possibilities until they arrive at the solution.
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How to solve a logic puzzle
No matter the format, the key to solving any of these puzzles is to use a process of deduction. In harder logic puzzles for adults, it might not seem like there’s enough information at first. But by reading through the clues several times, you’ll have fewer and fewer possibilities to analyze with each pass.
Now that you know how to solve them, let’s try out a few. We’ll start you off with some easier ones (which are also great logic puzzles for kids) before we give you the tougher ones.
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Easy puzzles
These logic puzzles are ideal for beginners or anyone who wants to warm up to something more challenging. Looking for good logic puzzles for kids? Then the ones below are your best bet.
1. Summer Camp
Abigail, Oliver, Rosa, and Blake all attend the same summer camp, where they can cook, kayak, rock climb, and zip-line. Each child has a different favorite activity.
Abigail’s favorite activity isn’t rock climbing.
Oliver is afraid of heights.
Rosa can’t do her favorite activity without a harness.
Blake likes to keep his feet on the ground at all times.
Can you figure out who likes what?
Answer: Abigail likes to zip-line, Oliver likes to kayak, Rosa likes to rock climb, and Blake likes to cook.
2. The Good Life
Each of five neighborhood dogs (Saber, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, and Bear) is enjoying one of the following activities: getting its ears scratched, playing catch, taking a nap, burying a chew toy, and going for a walk.
Pepper is either playing catch or burying a chew toy.
Neither Ginger nor Saber nor Bear is on a walk.
One of the dogs named after a spice is getting its ears scratched.
A dog not named for a spice is playing catch.
Bear is getting some exercise.
Can you figure out what each pooch is doing?
Answer: Saber is taking a nap, Ginger is getting her ears scratched, Nutmeg is going for a walk, Pepper is burying a chew toy, and Bear is playing catch.
3. President’s Day
George, William, John, Abe, and Millard have their birthdays on consecutive days, all between Monday and Friday.
George’s birthday is as many days before Millard’s and William’s is after Abe’s.
John is two days older than Abe.
Millard’s birthday is on Thursday.
Can you figure out whose birthday is on each day?
Answer: John’s is on Monday, George’s on Tuesday, Abe’s on Wednesday, Millard’s on Thursday, and William’s on Friday.
4. The Long and the Short of It
Here’s a great logic puzzle for kids: Six neighborhood children (Leisha, Benito, Delia, Charlotte, Weldon, and Zina) were measured yesterday.
Weldon is taller than Delia but shorter than Zina.
Leisha is taller than Benito but shorter than Delia and Weldon.
Benito is not the shortest.
Can you put them in order of height from tallest to shortest?
Answer: Zina, Weldon, Delia, Leisha, Benito, Charlotte.
Medium puzzles
These are a bit trickier, so we recommend these logic puzzles for adults. They are still good logic puzzles for kids, but younger solvers might not be able to solve them on their own.
5. Dads and Grads
A joint Father’s Day and graduation party is being thrown for Michael, Ken, James, Alberto, Elias, and Stephanie. Three of them are newly minted high school graduates. The other three are their dads.
Stephanie went to the senior prom with Michael’s son.
Elias and James played on the school’s baseball team. One of them is Alberto’s son.
Michael and Elias are not related.
Can you match the high school graduates to their fathers at this joint celebration?
Answer: Alberto is Elias’ dad, Ken is Stephanie’s dad, and Michael is James’ dad.
6. Allergy Season
Five friends (Allegra, Ben, Clara, Flora, and Zach) are each allergic to something different: pollen, shellfish, bee stings, cats, or nuts.
Allegra has a food allergy
Ben can play with his kitten for hours without issue (or medicine).
Clara’s allergy is not related to animals.
Flora has seasonal allergies.
Can you figure out who is allergic to what?
Answer: Allegra is allergic to shellfish, Ben to bee stings, Clara to nuts, Flora to pollen, and Zach to cats.
7. Here’s the Deal
This one could be a good logic puzzle for kids because it also involves some math. Four playing cards, one of each suit, lie face down on a table. They are a three, a four, a five, and a six.
The cards on either side of the four are black.
The club is to the right of the three but not next to it.
The spade is to the left of the heart.
The middle two cards add up to an even number. Neither of them is a club.
Can you determine the cards’ suits and their order?
Answer: From left to right: Three of diamonds, six of spades, four of hearts, five of clubs.
8. Party at Charlie’s
And this one is a good logic puzzle for adults. You’ve been invited to a party at Charlie’s house, but you’ve never been there. He has seven friends who live nearby. They’ve given you a map showing all of their houses and Charlie’s house, along with the following information:
Daniel: I can’t see Benita’s house, because Greta’s house is in the way.
Adam: I live directly (not diagonally) across the street from Daniel.
Benita: Elena lives due west of me.
Elena: I have to cross three streets to walk to Franco’s house.
Hal: I live east of Benita.
Can you figure out which house is Charlie’s?
Answer: House E.
Hard puzzles
These more advanced challenges are definitely logic puzzles for adults. But while they are intricate, don’t feel bad taking as much time as you need to work out your logic.
9. Pass the Salt, Please
A perfect logic puzzle for adults who have kids: Try to outsmart your mischievous teenager!
On April Fool’s Day, your teenaged son replaces the salt in three of your four salt shakers with sugar. But he also leaves messages on each.
If only one of these inscriptions is true, which shaker still contains salt?
Answer: Shaker C.
10. True Blue
This logic puzzle for adults will stump even the most astute solvers! Daniel, Emily, Marciano, and Christina are all wearing solid-colored shirts. Their shirts are red, yellow, green, and blue. Only the person wearing blue tells the truth, while the other three lie. They make the following statements:
Daniel: “Marciano is wearing red.”
Emily: “Daniel is not wearing yellow.”
Marciano: “Emily is wearing blue.”
Christina: “I will wear blue tomorrow.”
Can you determine each person’s shirt color, and whether we can expect to see Christina in blue tomorrow?
Answer: Daniel is wearing yellow, Emily is in red, Marciano is in green, and Christina is in blue. Christina will wear a blue shirt again tomorrow.
11. Three Cheers for the New Parents
In this printable logic puzzle, you’ll discover what these expectant parents will name their triplets.
Ruby and Lewis are expecting…triplets! They already know what they will name their three children, but they aren’t sharing the names until the babies are born. For now, this is all they’ll say:
All three babies are boys.
Their names are six letters long and anagrams of one another.
Their names include both of their parents’ initials, but none of the other letters in their parents’ first names.
What will Ruby and Lewis name their triplets?
Answer: Arnold, Roland, and Ronald.
12. Win or Lose
And one last logic puzzle for adults: Can you figure out who won the game?
The Reds, the Grays, the Blues, and the Blacks have a round-robin tournament. Each team plays each other team once, for a total of six games.
The Blacks won more games than the Blues.
The Grays lost more games than the Blues.
The Reds tied the Blacks. (This was the only tie in the tournament.)
Who won the game between the Reds and the Blues?
Answer: The Reds.
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