If two's company, and three's a crowd, what are four and five?

Why this works

At first glance, this riddle seems to toy with our understanding of social dynamics, but it cleverly shifts into the realm of simple arithmetic. The phrase "two's company" and "three's a crowd" leads us down a path of thinking about relationships, but the real twist is in the question that follows. When asking what four and five add up to, the answer is unexpectedly straightforward: four plus five equals nine. This riddle plays on the juxtaposition of social conventions and mathematical truths, creating a delightful moment of realization when the reader shifts from a social perspective to a numerical one. It's a clever reminder that sometimes, what seems like a complex inquiry can yield a simple and direct answer when we shift our viewpoint. The phrase itself also evokes the timeless human experience of companionship, yet in the end, it nudges us back to the solidity of numbers, which are often more reliable than social norms. As a fun piece of trivia, this riddle exemplifies a type of wordplay known as a “pun,” where language is twisted in clever ways to create humor or surprise. Puns have a long history in literature and everyday conversation, dating back to ancient civilizations, proving that even in these modern times, our love for clever wordplay remains timeless and universal.