A mile from end to end, yet as close to as a friend. A precious commodity, freely given. Seen on the dead and on the living. Found on the rich, poor, short and tall, but shared among children most of all. What is it?
Think you have it? The answer is below.
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Answer: A smile (there's 'a mile' between its first and last letters)
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📖 The answer, explained
The trick here is that the opening line isn't describing distance at all, it's describing spelling. Pull the letters S-M-I-L-E apart and hidden right there between the first letter and the last is the word "a mile" — hence a whole mile from end to end, yet close as a friend because the word itself is barely five letters long. Everything after that is just the riddle having fun with what a smile actually is: free, priceless, worn by everyone regardless of wealth or height, appearing on faces living and, in memorial photos or portraits, even the departed. And children get singled out because they smile more freely and often than anyone else. So the misdirection works on two levels — you're hunting for some physical object or quality, when really the riddle wants you to look at the word's construction, then rewards you with a sweet truth about human nature once you see it.
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