This classic riddle asks: What can you keep after giving it to someone? At first, it sounds impossible. Usually, once you give something away, it belongs to the other person. But the trick is that the answer is not a physical object.
The answer is: your word.
When you give someone your word, you are making a promise or giving your assurance. You can still “keep your word” afterward by doing what you said you would do. That is why the wording works so well: you give your word, but you can also keep it.
It is a simple riddle built around two common expressions, and that is exactly why it catches so many people. The best riddles often use ordinary phrases in an unexpected way.
