# What can you break without ever touching it?

Source: https://silverapuzzles.com/riddles/what-can-you-break-without-ever-touching-it

A breaking riddle with nothing physical to break. The answer is something you can shatter with a single choice.

**Answer:** A promise.

Promises can be broken without anyone laying a hand on them.

Hint: Keep it instead.

## How to think about it

1. Breaking without touching rules out objects. Think of abstract things we describe as “broken”.
2. A broken heart, a broken record, a broken promise, a broken silence.
3. The hint says to keep it instead. Which of those do we “keep”?
4. A promise is broken when you fail to keep it, and no touching is involved.

## Why “a promise” is the answer

A promise is kept or broken by what you do, so you can break one without laying a finger on anything. The riddle relies on the figurative sense of “break”, which English applies to promises, rules, silence and hearts. The hint about keeping narrows it to the promise.

## Common wrong answers

- **Silence.** Silence is also broken without touching, so it is a reasonable alternative; the “keep it” hint points to a promise.
- **A window with a rock.** Throwing a rock means you touched the rock, and the riddle wants nothing physical at all.