The difference between Puzzle and Riddle
When used as nouns, puzzle means anything that is difficult to understand or make sense of, whereas riddle means a verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
When used as verbs, puzzle means to perplex (someone), whereas riddle means to speak ambiguously or enigmatically.
check bellow for the other definitions of Puzzle and Riddle
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Puzzle as a noun:
Anything that is difficult to understand or make sense of.
Examples:
"Where he went after he left the house is a puzzle."
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Puzzle as a noun:
A game for one or more people that is more or less difficult to work out or complete.
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Puzzle as a noun:
A crossword puzzle.
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Puzzle as a noun:
A jigsaw puzzle.
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Puzzle as a noun:
A riddle.
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Puzzle as a noun (archaic):
Something made with marvellous skill; something of ingenious construction.
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Puzzle as a noun:
The state of being puzzled; perplexity.
Examples:
"to be in a puzzle"
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Puzzle as a verb (transitive):
To perplex (someone).
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Puzzle as a verb (intransitive):
To think long and carefully, in bewilderment.
Examples:
"We puzzled over the curious-shaped lock, but were unable to discover how the key should be inserted."
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Puzzle as a verb (transitive):
To make intricate; to entangle.
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Riddle as a noun:
A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature.
Examples:
"synonyms: enigma conundrum brain-teaser"
"Here's a riddle: It's black, and white, and red all over. What is it?"
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Riddle as a noun:
An ancient verbal, poetic, or literary form, in which, rather than a rhyme scheme, there are parallel opposing expressions with a hidden meaning.
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Riddle as a verb:
To speak ambiguously or enigmatically.
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Riddle as a verb (transitive):
To solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question.
Examples:
"'Riddle me this."
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Riddle as a noun:
A sieve with coarse meshes, usually of wire, for separating coarser materials from finer, as chaff from grain, cinders from ashes, or gravel from sand.
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Riddle as a noun:
A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.
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Riddle as a verb:
To put something through a riddle or sieve, to sieve, to sift.
Examples:
"You have to riddle the gravel before you lay it on the road."
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Riddle as a verb:
To fill with holes like a riddle.
Examples:
"The shots from his gun began to riddle the targets."
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Riddle as a verb:
To fill or spread throughout; to pervade.
Examples:
"Your argument is riddled with errors."
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Riddle as a noun (obsolete):
A curtain; bed-curtain
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Riddle as a noun (religious):
One of the pair of curtains enclosing an altar on the north and south
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Riddle as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To plait