In this classic riddle, what belongs to you but is used more often by other people than by you?

Introduction / Context:
This is a popular verbal riddle that tests logical thinking and the ability to interpret familiar ideas in an unusual way. The question asks about something that belongs to you but is used more by other people. The key is to realise that "use" here means using or referring to something in speech, not physically using an object. Once we think in terms of conversation, the correct answer becomes clear: other people say or use your name more often than you do yourself.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The thing in question belongs personally to you.
• Other people use it more frequently than you do.
• "Use" can include speaking or referring to that thing, not only physically handling it.
• We assume common social behaviour, such as how names are used in daily life.

Concept / Approach:
To solve this, we distinguish between legal ownership and practical usage. Items like clothes, shoes, or a mobile phone are used heavily by their owner, so they do not match the condition that others use them more. However, your name is something uniquely yours, yet in regular conversation most of the time it is spoken by other people when they address you, talk about you, or introduce you. You may say your own name only occasionally. This contrast between belonging and frequency of use is the central trick of the riddle.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: List common personal belongings such as clothes, phone, shoes, and your name. Step 2: For each item, ask who uses it more: you or other people. Step 3: Notice that you wear your own clothes and shoes most of the time, so you are the primary user. Step 4: Consider your name and observe that friends, family, colleagues and officials say it repeatedly in conversations. Step 5: Conclude that "Your name" fits both conditions: it belongs to you but is spoken and used more often by others.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify the reasoning with a simple mental experiment. Think about a full day and count how many times you say your own name compared to how many times others say it. In almost all situations, other people use your name when they greet you, call you, or discuss you. You are likely to use your own name only in situations such as introductions, official forms, or rare self references. This simple comparison confirms that the riddle is pointing to your name rather than to any physical object like clothes or a phone.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Your clothes: You wear your clothes yourself most of the time, so you use them more than others do.
Your mobile phone: Although others might occasionally use it, usually you are the primary and most frequent user.
Your shoes: Shoes are a very personal item and are almost always used by the owner, not by others.
Your birthday: While others may remember or celebrate it, they do not "use" it in the same specific, frequent way that the riddle implies for your name.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to think only about physical usage and overlook verbal usage. Some learners may also be tempted by answers that involve shared use, such as a mobile phone, especially if they imagine family sharing devices. Another pitfall is to interpret "belongs to you" in a narrow material sense and forget that intangible items like a name also belong to a person. Keeping a broad view of what "use" and "belonging" can mean is essential for solving riddles of this type.

Final Answer:
The thing that belongs to you but is used more by others is your name.