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A new riddle trending on social media asks the reader for either a “state without an a” or a “state without the letter a.” Some other versions ask for a “state without an e” instead. You might think the answer is easy, but the response that the question is looking for is actually more complicated than it appears at first glance. Read on for more details.
The riddle is typically worded in one of several very simple ways. The person asking may simply post a status on social media that just reads: “State without an ‘A’,” “State without the letter ‘A’,” or “All you need to do is find state without an ‘A.'” Alternative versions may ask for a “State without the letter E.”
Typically the riddle is worded in a way that sounds less-than-grammatically correct, and there’s a reason for this.
Read on once you’re ready to see the answer.
Here’s the Answer to the Riddle
The answer to the “State without an A” riddle is “Stte.”
The answer to the “State without an E” riddle is “Stat.”
The riddle is asking the responder to simply spell the initial word “state” without an “a” in the word. That’s why it’s worded a little oddly. If they said, “name a state without the letter a,” then there might be more reason to argue for a different answer.
(The alternative “State without an E” riddle is exactly the same, just using E instead of A. The rest of this article focuses on the A version, but the same applies for the E riddle.)
If you answered with any number of states that don’t have “a” in their name, don’t feel bad. You might have responded with Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, or Oregon, for example. And some might argue that those answers are perfectly valid too.
You could even try to outthink the question and answer “solid” or “liquid,” as those are states of matter without an “a” (unlike gas.)
The trick is that they’re not asking for the name of a state, but rather just for “state without an A.” In truth, it’s a bit of a confusing riddle no matter how it’s worded, so you can’t really be blamed if you got the answer wrong.
A Similar Riddle Asks About a Fruit
Read on for a similar form of the same type of riddle that’s making the rounds, along with the answer to that riddle.
A similar riddle is also making the rounds that works from the same concept as the “state” riddle. This riddle asks for “fruit without an i.” Once again, it’s worded in a funny way that makes you think the person was using poor grammar. And it might lead to answers like “banana” or “apple.” But the correct answer to this riddle is simply “frut,” just like the correct answer to “state without an a” is “stte.”
This is just one of many riddles that are circulating on sites like Facebook and Instagram during the coronavirus pandemic. If you’ve seen the “How Many Ducks Do You See?” riddle and were stumped, check out Heavy’s explanation here. If you ran into the “I Met a Man on London Bridge” riddle and have no idea what the man’s name is, you can find the answer in Heavy’s story here. The answer to the “You Enter a Bedroom” riddle is here, and the answer to the “Can You Open the Lock Using These Clues?” riddle is here.
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