What Do Boys Wear Daily, but Girls Wear Once a Year? – Riddle and Answer Explained

Riddles have long been a fun and clever way to engage our minds, challenge our thinking, and spark curiosity. One riddle that has taken the internet by storm is:

"What do boys wear daily, but girls wear once a year?"

At first glance, the question seems puzzling. Some may think it's referring to clothing, habits, or even cultural customs. But as with many riddles, the answer is hiding in plain sight, and the trick lies in how we interpret the words.

The Answer: The Letter “Y”

Yes, the answer is not a piece of clothing or a fashion accessory—it's **a letter in the alphabet**.

Let’s break it down:

* The word “boys” is spelled B-O-Y-S – it contains the letter “Y” and is something seen daily in the word.

* The word **“girls”** is spelled **G-I-R-L-S** – there is **no “Y”** in this word.

So why do we say girls wear it once a year?

Here’s the twist: the word “year” itself contains the letter **Y**, and traditionally, the word “girl” only has a “Y” appear when associated with the word “year” in riddles like this.

It's a clever play on words, using the concept of “wearing” a letter figuratively—meaning to “contain” or “include” it in a word.

Why This Riddle Is So Popular

This riddle is a great example of **linguistic misdirection**. It makes the reader think about clothing or gendered habits, but it's actually just a clever play on spelling. It's simple, short, and surprising—three key ingredients for a viral brain teaser.

Word Play Riddles

1. What comes at the end of everything? 🌀

Answer: The letter **g**

2. What starts with "e", ends with "e", but only contains one letter? ✉️

Answer: Envelope

3. What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? ✂️

Answer: Short

4. What has many words but never speaks? 📖

Answer: A book

5. What begins with T, ends with T, and has T in it? 🍵

Answer: Teapot

6. What word is always spelled incorrectly in the dictionary? ❌📚

Answer: Incorrectly

7. What can travel around the world while staying in the same spot? 🌍📮

Answer: A stamp

8. What has a head, a tail, but no body? 🪙

Answer: A coin

9. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? ⏳

Answer: The letter **m**

10. What starts with “P”, ends with “E”, and has thousands of letters? 🏤

Answer: Post office

11. What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do? 🗣️

Answer: Your name

12. What has keys but can’t open locks? 🎹

Answer: A piano

13. What has legs but doesn’t walk? 🪑

Answer: A table

14. What word has three consecutive double letters? 🔤

Answer: Bookkeeper

15. What has hands but can’t clap? ⏰

Answer: A clock

16. What has eyes but can’t see? 🥔

Answer: A potato

17. What has one letter but starts and ends with it? 📩

Answer: Eve

18. What gets bigger the more you take away from it? 🕳️

Answer: A hole

19. What do you break before you use it? 🥚

Answer: An egg

20. What word contains 26 letters but only has three syllables? 🔠

Answer: Alphabet

21. What has a neck but no head? 🍾

Answer: A bottle

22. What gets wetter as it dries? 🧻

Answer: A towel

23. What has a ring but no finger? ☎️

Answer: A phone

24. What can you catch but not throw? 🤧

Answer: A cold

25. What kind of room has no doors or windows? 🍄

Answer: A mushroom

26. What comes down but never goes up? 🌧️

Answer: Rain

27. What runs but never walks, has a bed but never sleeps? 🌊

Answer: A river

28. What begins with an E and only contains one letter? 📬

Answer: Envelope

29. What can fill a room but takes up no space? 💡

Answer: Light

30. What has words but no voice, pages but no thoughts? 📚

Answer: A dictionary

Check out More: I have no life, but I can die. What am I?

Final Thoughts

Riddles like "What do boys wear daily, but girls wear once a year?" remind us that sometimes, the answer lies not in logic or experience, but in wordplay. It’s a fun reminder of how flexible and playful language can be—and how our brains love a good twist.