The Viral 'I Have 6 Eggs' Riddle Is Trickier Than You Might Think—Can You Solve It?

Six eggs in a carton

Riddles push us to think in totally new ways that we don't normally use. Even riddles that seem silly and simple at first can keep our brains flexible and ready to see things in innovative ways we hadn't considered before. The best riddles make us question the assumptions we usually take for granted. They force us to get creative and look at things from a fresh perspective. That's what makes finally solving a riddle so rewarding.

A simple riddle about eggs has taken the internet by storm recently. The "I Have 6 Eggs" riddle has gone viral across social media, puzzling many with its deceptively easy setup. Despite its basic premise of just counting some eggs, this riddle has proven a bit tricky for many to solve. The confusion and debate around the "correct" answer has fueled a lot of the popularity. Everyone has an opinion on the right answer!

Whether you've seen it making the rounds on Twitter, TikTok, or Reddit, or if you haven't encountered it yet, get ready to join the egg riddle fun. We've got some useful hints, as well as the answer(s)—revealed.

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What Is the 'I Have 6 Eggs' Riddle?

The full text of the riddle reads as follows:

"I have six eggs. I broke two. I fried two. I ate two. How many eggs are left?"

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Hints to Figure Out the 'I Have 6 Eggs' Riddle

If you've been stumped by this riddle so far, don't worry—you're certainly not alone. Here are some hints that could help jog your thinking in the right direction:

First, read the riddle carefully and think about what might be intended to throw you off.

Visualize the scene described—you have six eggs. What happens to each egg along the way?

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'I Have 6 Eggs' Riddle Answer Reveal

So what's the answer? If you guessed four eggs, you're correct!

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The Riddle Answer for 'I Have 6 Eggs'—Explained

It's worth going through the logic and breaking down each part of the riddle:

• "I have six eggs." We start with a full half-dozen.

• "I broke two." Two of the six eggs were broken, leaving four whole eggs remaining.

• "I fried two." Here's where it gets tricky. The wording doesn't specify, but the two fried eggs are the same as the two that were previously broken. After all, you can’t fry eggs without breaking them first.

• "I ate two." Again, it doesn't specify, but these are the same two eggs from the previous two statements. The narrator ate the same two eggs that were previously broken and then fried. In order to eat an egg, you have to first break it and then cook it, and then it is gone.

So in the end, two eggs were broken, the same two eggs were fried and eaten, and four eggs are left over from the original six.

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A Second Acceptable Answer—Explained

However, this may not be the only correct answer! Due to the way the riddle is phrased, there is another interpretation which could potentially be equally valid.

The riddle begins, “I have six eggs,” using the present tense. The breaking, frying and eating that the rest of the riddle describes are all stated in the past tense. If you interpret it this way, then these three steps happened prior to the initial statement. In this case, the answer would be "six eggs.”

It's a massively popular brain teaser precisely because of the debates taking place around the correct answer.

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