In this common riddle, what is always coming but never actually arrives?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Tomorrow

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This short riddle is about how we talk about time. The phrase always coming but never arrives sounds paradoxical at first, but it captures how we experience certain time related words. The classic answer is Tomorrow, a word that always refers to the next day in the future. When that day finally comes, we no longer call it tomorrow; we call it today. So in a sense, tomorrow as tomorrow never truly arrives.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The thing is always coming, suggesting it is in the future.
  • It never arrives, because once it would arrive, we no longer use the same label.
  • Options include Tomorrow, A train, The weekend, Sunset and None of these.
  • We assume ordinary everyday meanings of these words.


Concept / Approach:
The key idea is that tomorrow is a shifting label. Every day, we can point to the next day and call it tomorrow. But once the clock moves forward and that day begins, it becomes today in our language, and a new day takes the title tomorrow. Thus tomorrow as a concept is always one step ahead and is never present. Trains, weekends and sunsets actually do arrive and can be experienced, so they do not match the riddle perfectly.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider the word tomorrow. At any given moment, tomorrow refers to the next calendar day. Step 2: When midnight passes and that day starts, we stop calling it tomorrow and begin to call it today. Step 3: Because of this change in language, the thing called tomorrow has moved forward again to the next day. Step 4: Therefore tomorrow is always ahead of us and is always coming, but at no point is there a day that we actually label as tomorrow while we are living in it. Step 5: Compare this with a train. A train that is due to arrive does actually reach the station at a specific time. Step 6: The weekend comes every week and is experienced as real days, so it arrives regularly. Step 7: Sunset happens every day and can be seen, so it clearly arrives.


Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can think about how you speak in your own life. On Monday you say tomorrow is Tuesday. When Tuesday comes, you no longer refer to Tuesday as tomorrow; instead, you say today is Tuesday and tomorrow is Wednesday. This pattern continues without end. Thus, tomorrow always remains in the future. Alternative candidates like the weekend are different because at some point you can say today is Saturday or Sunday and it is actually here. That means they do arrive and therefore do not fit the riddle phrase never arrives.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
A train: This is a physical object that has exact arrival times.
The weekend: Although people look forward to it, it appears at the end of each week and is actually lived through.
Sunset: It happens daily; you can watch it arrive and pass.
None of these: This is incorrect because Tomorrow clearly matches the puzzling description.


Common Pitfalls:
Some learners read too quickly and think about things that feel slow to arrive, such as holidays or weekends, and forget that the riddle uses the strong phrase never arrives. Others may treat tomorrow as a fixed date rather than as a moving label. Understanding that the word tomorrow always moves forward in time is a useful insight not only for this riddle but also for thinking carefully about how language describes time in everyday conversation.


Final Answer:
The thing that is always coming but never arrives is Tomorrow.

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