Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Mississippi
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This riddle uses a pun on the word eyes. Instead of referring to real human eyes that see, it refers to the letter i in a word. English riddles often play on this idea by counting i letters and calling them eyes. The puzzle asks for something that has four eyes but cannot see, which directs us to look for a word with four letter i characters rather than a living creature with physical eyes.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The trick is to count the number of i characters in each option. Mississippi is a common answer to this type of puzzle because its spelling contains multiple i letters. We also know that a river, which Mississippi is, cannot see. If Mississippi has exactly four letter i characters, it satisfies both parts of the riddle: four i letters and no vision. Other options like Glasses might make you think of eyes, but their spelling and the logic of the riddle do not match as cleanly.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write out the word Mississippi: M i s s i s s i p p i.
Step 2: Count the letter i. In Mississippi, the i letters appear four times.
Step 3: Recognise that the riddle is using the wordplay that the letter i sounds like eye.
Step 4: Note that the Mississippi in the usual riddle context refers to a river, which is not a living being and cannot see.
Step 5: Check Committee. It contains multiple letters but only two i characters, so it has two eyes in this sense, not four.
Step 6: Check Scissors. It usually contains one i, so it does not fit the requirement.
Step 7: Check Glasses. It has no letter i, so it fails the four eyes wordplay, even though glasses are connected to vision.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can also look at how often Mississippi appears as an answer in riddle collections. The phrase four eyes but cannot see is almost always paired with Mississippi, reinforcing that this is the standard solution. Committee and other words with several i letters are much less common and often have fewer i characters. Therefore, both the letter count and the cultural usage of the riddle confirm Mississippi as the intended answer.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Committee: It has fewer than four i letters and is not a classic riddle solution.
Scissors: There is only one i, so the word has one eye by this pun, not four.
Glasses: The spelling has no i letters at all, and using glasses brings in literal eyes rather than the pun.
None of these: This is incorrect because Mississippi clearly fits the condition and is widely accepted as the answer.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners jump to Glasses because glasses are worn on the face and associated with seeing. They may ignore the exact phrase four eyes and think about the physical image instead of letter counts. Others might try to interpret eyes literally and look for animals, which are not even listed. The correct approach is to recognise wordplay and count the letter i as a stand in for eye. Once you take this perspective, Mississippi becomes the obvious answer.
Final Answer:
The word with four eyes but no ability to see is Mississippi.
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