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Funny riddles
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A pun riddle in the “what do you call” family. The answer is a familiar phrase that happens to describe the picture in the question.
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
Hint: It is a candy.
Reveal the answer
A gummy bear
No teeth, just gums: a gummy bear.
How to solve it (spoilers)
How to think about it
- Take the description seriously for a moment: a bear with no teeth would show only its gums.
- Turn “gums” into an adjective. A mouth with no teeth is gummy.
- Put the adjective in front of the animal and listen to the result: a gummy bear.
- Recognize the phrase. Gummy bears are the chewy candies shaped like little bears, so the pun lands.
Why “a gummy bear” is the answer
A gummy bear is a well-known candy, and “gummy” is also the natural word for a mouth with gums but no teeth. The joke works because both readings fit the same two words. Most “what do you call” riddles follow this shape: the literal description and an existing name or phrase collide.
Common wrong answers
- A toothless bear. True but not funny. The riddle wants the pun, not the plain description.
- A teddy bear. Teddy bears have no teeth either, but the name has nothing to do with teeth or gums.
Related riddles
- What has many teeth but can’t bite?
- What can you catch but not throw?
- What has four wheels and flies?
- What has its bottom at the top?
- Which building has the most stories?
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