Getty A show garden is in full bloom on the press preview day of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on July 5, 2010 in London, England.
A new viral riddle is circulating on social media and it has caused confusion for many who have come across it. “I Enter the Garden” is a word riddle that has people scratching their heads as it can be interpreted in several different ways.
It is similar to the “You Enter a Bedroom” riddle that went viral earlier this year. However, there are some differences that have caused a challenge to those attempting to solve it.
The riddle reads as follows:
“I enter the garden. There are 34 people in the backyard. You kill 30 people. How many people are in the garden?”
Another version of the riddle states that “you kill 34 people.” The answer to that version of the riddle will be revealed in this article as well.
If you are ready to see the answer, scroll down:
Answer & Explanation to the I Enter the Garden Riddle
If we just read the three sequential facts with only the knowledge that is available in the riddle and without jumping to assumptions, then the answer would be that there is one person in the garden. The answer is the same, regardless of how many people were killed in the riddle, 34 or 30.
Much like You Enter a Bedroom, the I Enter the Garden riddle is written in an ambiguous way, and the reader typically makes assumptions to solve it, which is why there are so many different interpretations and answers circulating on social media. Read on to find out how to get to the answer above and to see other variations.
The riddle can be broken into three separate events that read sequentially, followed by the question:
- 1. I enter the garden.
- 2. There are 34 people in the backyard.
- 3. You kill 30 people.
- 4. How many people are in the garden?
The riddle starts with the narrator entering the garden. Next, it is stated that there are 34 people in the backyard. These two sentences can be interpreted differently. With the way the riddle is written, it is unclear if the garden is in the backyard.
Since there is no evidence to support that the garden and the backyard are in the same place and the reader cannot make assumptions, then there are simply 34 people in the backyard and the narrator is in a different location.
Then, the narrator says you kill 30 people. It is important to note that the killer and the narrator are two different people, the narrator is referred to as “I” and the killer is referred to as “you.” However, the killer’s location is not stated. There is nothing in the riddle to indicate that the killer is in the backyard or garden, so without assuming, no one in the garden and backyard were killed.
Again, if the riddle is read with just the 3 sequential facts available in the riddle and without making assumptions about the location of the killer and the connection between the garden and the backyard, then the answer is that there is one person in the garden.
People Have Gotten Different Results by Making Certain Assumptions About the Events in the Riddle
Other answers have been circulating on social media and they stem from people making assumptions about the events in the riddle.
One common assumption is that the garden is in the backyard. Another common assumption is about the location of the killer. Although it is never mentioned where the killer is located, many people have guessed that they are in the garden or backyard.
These assumptions have caused many people to come up with answers including five and four.
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