Do you want to create an exciting new escape room? Or do you finally want to set the record for the quickest escape from the Caves of Doom? Either way, understanding the difference between escape room riddles and puzzles moves you closer to climbing your Everest.

Even though you probably did your first puzzle at two years old and answered your first riddle shortly after, you probably haven't spent much time considering the differences. Language helps blur the distinctions. We talk about being "puzzled" by questions. Have you ever heard someone stumped by a difficult question saying they were "riddled?" Didn't think so.

Here, we answer the age-old questions of what is a puzzle, what is a riddle, and what's the difference. We'll also teach you the difference between the goofy riddles you told in grade school and the crafty riddles you find in escape rooms. We may even make you answer a riddle or two. Put on your thinking cap and come along for the ride!

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a riddle is "a question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game." But enough with the dry, meaningless explanations.

Riddles make you think. Some offer multiple dimensions, double meanings, and rely on trickery for success. Common riddles usually bring a smile to your face.

For example:

Q. What do Alexander The Great and Winnie The Pooh have in common?
A. Their middle name.

Q. You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again, you don't see a single person on the boat. Why?
A. Everyone on the boat is married.

Q. What tastes better than it smells?

A. Your tongue.

A quick internet search nets hundreds of similar riddles. A good riddle forces you to look below the surface for the answer. The answer may lie beneath several layers of the onion. You'll find the right answer if you can peel enough without crying. If you can't, you'll likely emit an amused groan when your riddler reveals the right response.

These 'regular riddles' are often a joke, meant to tickle your ribs. They're normally told for fun and to amuse both the riddler and the responder.

On the other hand, an escape room riddle tries to provide a player with information. It could provide the answer to an escape room puzzle, the combination to a lock, or the discount code for the pizza place next door. Either way, the answer to the riddle gives value to the player. Without it, they're zombie fodder.

This means that it can take a little bit of extra work to make a riddle for your escape room. Fortunately, you can just follow this step-by-step guide!

Solving an escape room puzzle requires logical thinking. It tests players' problem-solving skills and forces them to think outside the box. If they can't think outside the box, they'll never escape from it.

Escape rooms feature several different types of puzzles. They fall into two general categories.

Physical Puzzles. Like the jigsaw puzzles of your youth, they require the manipulation of objects. They mainly test a player's spatial reasoning, so I leave those puzzles to other players.

Lateral Thinking Puzzles. These puzzles make up the vast majority of escape room puzzles. They require outside-the-box thinking to arrive at the solution. The ticking sound coming from the computer may be Morse code. You may have to find the key to a cipher or complete a math puzzle. Don't you wish you'd paid attention in Mr. Vernon's math class?

If you're still not quite sure, check out this epic list of puzzles for some cool examples.

The difference is small but crucial. Recognizing the type of problem you face gives you a quicker path to the solution.

Escape room riddles will:

   • Require no extraneous information to arrive at the solution. Everything you need exists in the question. You may not see the information at first, but it appears as you peel back the layers. You'll probably feel like Captain Picard figuring out a question from Q, but you'll figure it out. And like Picard, you'll do it within the time allowed, even though you don't have Riker and Data to assist.

   • Always involve words. They may be written or verbal, but the words provide the questions and the answer.

On the other hand, escape room puzzles will:

   • Require the player to gather information from the room. They may need to find the key to the cipher, but all the information they need exists in the room. Gathering all possible clues at the beginning of the game is crucial. Failure to find a piece of information at the beginning of the game could make the difference between winning and losing.

   • Usually involve physical objects. They may be puzzle pieces, ciphers, or lego sets. I prefer the Star Wars Lego Death Star (because it is so much fun to destroy!) but to each their own.

Crucially, the two different kinds of escape room challenges produce two totally different kinds of answers. (However, for designers, these key escape room design principles are remarkably the same!) Knowing the difference helps clear the path to the solution.

Q. What room do ghosts avoid?

Next time you play an escape room, ensure you know whether you're solving a riddle or puzzle. Knowing the difference could make the difference between escaping and having a close encounter of the worst kind with a serial killer. Oh, by the way, the answer is the living room.