How Many Seconds in a Year Riddle: Explanation

Here is a riddle that you might have seen. This classic Riddle is “How many seconds in a year.” The answer to this Riddle is pretty simple, albiet confusing. So, let us go ahead and explain what the correct answer is.

Well, riddles have always served as a source of amusement and wonder for humans. Riddles have provided people entertainment and spectacle since time immemorial, and they continue to do so today. The art of creating a riddle is nothing short of fantastic because it requires a lot of brain power. During the recent Covid-19 lockdown, social media sites were flooded with riddles, some annoying and some wondrous, and you had to figure out what they were. That’s the problem with Riddles. It infiltrates your subconscious curiosity and compels you to seek the solution.

Origins of the Riddle 

The Riddle has been circulating on Social Media sites for several years now. It became more prominent during the lockdown era of 2020, and many people were perplexed by it. The Riddle looks very easy at first but is menacingly tricky if you fail to understand the premise. Recently in 2022, the Riddle has once again risen its head and confused and frustrated a lot of people again. 

The Riddle is typically written in the form of a simple question:

What is the number of seconds in a year?

The Riddle is sometimes read in a slightly different way:

How many seconds in a leap year?

Isn’t this a fairly straightforward question? Well, as is the case with many riddles, there’s a trick. Are you prepared to hear the answer to one of the most frustratingly simple riddles ever? Keep reading on!

Here’s the solution:

The correct answer is 24. 

Bear with us, and don’t throw away your phone in anger. We will explain this answer in detail.

The Riddle isn’t asking for the number of seconds in a year (like 60 seconds in a minute), but the number of “seconds,” which would be dates like January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd, and so on. Some may stop and say the answer is 12, but it is actually 24 because each month has January 22nd, March 22nd, and so on. If the question is calculating seconds in a leap year, the answer is the same because a leap year simply means that February has 29 days instead of 28. The seconds have not changed.

Also Read: “7 Men Have 7 Wives”: Explanation to the Classic Riddle

In that case, multiply 60 x 60 x 24 x 365 (or 366 if the year is a leap year). The answer in a non-leap year is 31,536,000. So, your response should also be considered if you went through all that trouble.

Basis of the Riddle

This is the simple word play trick upon which the Riddle is based. The Riddle continues to confuse and frustrate people even after all these years, and we anticipate it will keep doing it for quite some time. It makes the unsuspecting readers pause and thinks twice about the answer. This will be stuck in your head till you actually find the solution to the problem, and it’s frustrating. 

However, if you generously took the time to calculate the number of seconds in terms of 60 seconds per minute, that answer should also be accepted. But not because it is the correct answer, but for your effort and commitment to finding the right answer!

This Riddle is one of the numerous riddles that have been making rounds on Social Media sites. The “7 men have 7 wives” is the most popular among them. If you want to know the answer to that, Check out our recent article explaining that.

I hope you found this article on” How many seconds in a year” informative. Stay tuned for more!