There is a woman on a boat riddle and answer explained
Daniel Moore
Published Apr 03, 2026
Riddles have been around for a long time, and while some people are great at solving them, for others they take longer to work out.
The latest riddle to have people on the internet scratching their heads is the “there is a woman on a boat” riddle. Let’s take a look at the riddle, the answer, and the explanation so that you can understand how to solve it.
Once you know the answer to this riddle, you can impress others with your problem solving abilities and put theirs to the test by getting them to solve the riddle too.
There is a woman on a boat riddle
RIDDLE
There is a woman on a boat, on a lake, wearing a coat. If you want to know her name, it’s in the riddle I just wrote. What’s the woman’s name?
ANSWER
There.
Riddle answer explained
While you may not think that the riddle mentions the woman’s name, if you look closer you will see that it actually does. The sentence says that “there is a woman in a boat.”
Therefore, the woman’s name is there. Replace the word “there” with any other name, for example, Alex. You will see that the sentence is stating that “Alex is a woman in a boat.”
While “there” is not a conventional name, or one you have heard of before, it is often used in riddles as it can easily confuse people.
We also know that the name of the woman is not “what.” This is because the sentence ends with a question mark not a full stop, so it is not stating that that’s her name.
Why not try another riddle?
RIDDLE
A barrel of water weighs 60 pounds. What must you put in it for it to weigh 40 pounds?
ANSWER
A hole.
EXPLANATION
Anything you add to a barrel of water is only going to increase the weight rather than reduce it. However, you can put in a hole. This not only fits with the wording of the riddle, but will reduce the weight of the barrel as the water will leak out of it through the hole.