NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 31, 2026

Aug 31, 2026

🚨 SPOILER WARNING

This page contains the final **answer** and the complete **solution** to today's NYT Pips puzzle. If you haven't attempted the puzzle yet and want to try solving it yourself first, now's your chance!

Click here to play today's official NYT Pips game first.

Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.

SEE ALSO:

🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

Today's NYT Pips easy, from Ian Livengood, is a confidence-builder: a large equal-region block does the heavy lifting, and the two single-cell less regions are simple caps rather than forks. Expect clean unlocking rather than head-scratching.

Rodolfo Kurchan's medium is the day's taught middle. The top-right sum and top-left equal/greater intersection create a cascading left-edge deduction; get that one bottleneck and the rest of the grid fills in linearly. Watch for the lower-left corner's less cap as the final conscience.

Kurchan's hard is a different beast: a set of single-cell sum regions gives hard exact values early, but the challenge is in threading them through the long row-1 equals band and the row-4 equal block without mixing up pairings. It will feel harder than medium until those anchors lock, then it snaps shut.

💡 Progressive Hints

Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!

💡 Look for the equal anchor
Forget the singles for a moment; today's easy is dominated by a large equal region. Search for the biggest block of cells that must all match.
💡 Spot the four-cell equal block
The cells at [2,1], [2,2], [2,3], and [3,2] form that equal region. The pair at [2,1]/[2,2] narrows down which double-tile you need, and [3,2] is then forced to pair with [3,3] under a less-3 ceiling.
💡 Solve the cascade
Place [4,4] at [2,1]/[2,2]; [4,1] at [3,2]/[3,3] (4 then 1); [4,6] at [2,3]/[1,3] (4 then 6); [5,6] at [1,1]/[1,2] (5 then 6); [3,5] at [0,0]/[0,1] (3 then 5). This completes the grid.
💡 Find the top-right and equal hinges
Medium's tightest clues are a sum region and two equal pairs. Look for where a low sum interacts with a vertical domino on the right edge, then let the top equal pair point left.
💡 Work the top-left to bottom-left cascade
The equal cells at [0,1]/[0,2] lock with the greater-3 singleton at [0,3]. This then forces [1,1], which matches [2,1], and the sum-4 region at [2,0]/[3,0] drags down to the less-4 cell at [4,0].
💡 Close it out
Place [4,4] at [0,2]/[0,3]; [1,4] at [0,1]/[1,1]; [1,2] at [2,0]/[2,1] (2 at [2,0], 1 at [2,1]); [2,3] at [3,0]/[4,0] (2 then 3); [5,5] at [3,1]/[4,1]; [5,6] at [1,2]/[2,2] (5 then 6); [0,3] at [0,4]/[1,4] (3 then 0).
💡 Let the single-cell sums talk
Kurchan's hard has several one-cell sum regions, and they act like exact-value gifts. Look for these tiny territories first, especially near the middle row and bottom row.
💡 Use the two strongest entry points
Start with the singles at [0,1] and [2,4]. The first drags [0,2] into a sum-10 pair; the second forces [2,3] into a sum-12 pair. Also note the [4,3] and [3,6] singles as your lower anchors.
💡 Chase the row-1 equals band
From [0,1], the top-left sum-10 gives [0,3], which pairs with [1,3] and plants the first value in the long five-cell equal band on row 1. From [2,4], the sum-12 pair gives [2,2], which pairs with [1,2] to plant another row-1 cell.
💡 Unlock the bottom anchors
The single [4,3] pairs with [4,2], then the equal block [4,1]/[4,2] forces [4,1], and [4,0] follows from a sum-8 region. Meanwhile, the [3,6] single pairs with [4,6] and starts the row-4 tail equal block.
💡 Full answer
Place [6,2] at [0,2]/[0,1] (6,2); [3,4] at [1,3]/[0,3] (3,4); [6,3] at [2,2]/[1,2] (6,3); [4,6] at [2,4]/[2,3] (4,6); [2,4] at [4,3]/[4,2] (2,4); [4,5] at [4,1]/[4,0] (4,5); [2,3] at [2,0]/[3,0] (2,3); [5,1] at [3,6]/[4,6] (5,1); [1,1] at [4,4]/[4,5]; [3,3] at [1,4]/[1,5]; [3,0] at [1,0]/[1,1] (0 at [1,0], 3 at [1,1]); [6,6] at [2,5]/[2,6]; [5,5] at [0,4]/[0,5]; [2,2] at [0,6]/[1,6].

🎨 Pips Solver

Aug 31, 2026

Click a domino to place it on the board. You can also click the board, and the correct domino will appear.

✅ Final Answer & Complete Solution For Hard Level

The key to solving today's hard puzzle was identifying the placement for the critical dominoes highlighted in the starting grid. Once those were in place, the rest of the puzzle could be solved logically. See the final grid below to compare your solution.

Starting Position & Key First Steps

Pips hint for August 31, 2026 – hard level puzzle grid with critical first placements and strategy

This image shows the initial puzzle grid for the hard level, with a few critical first placements highlighted.

Final Answer: The Solved Grid for Hard Mode

NYT Pips August 31, 2026 hard puzzle full solution grid showing final answer with hints

Compare this final grid with your own solution to see the correct placement of all dominoes.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Easy Level

1
Step 1: Lock the big equal block
The four cells at [2,1], [2,2], [2,3], and [3,2] all have to show the same pip. The adjacent pair [2,1] and [2,2] is the only place a double 4 can begin to satisfy this, so place domino [4,4] there.
2
Step 2: Use the less-3 corner
With [2,2] already taken, [3,2] has only one available neighbor left: [3,3]. The [3,3] cell has a less-3 cap, so the [4,1] domino fits perfectly—4 at [3,2] to match the equal block, 1 at [3,3].
3
Step 3: Close the top of the equal block
The remaining equal cell [2,3] must also be 4. Its available neighbor is [1,3], so use [4,6] with 4 at [2,3] and 6 at [1,3]. Since [1,2] must equal [1,3], it becomes 6, and the [5,6] domino fills [1,1]/[1,2] with 5 at [1,1].
4
Step 4: Finish the upper-left pair
The equality [0,1]=[1,1] makes [0,1] a 5. Then [0,0] pairs with [0,1] through domino [3,5], placing 3 at [0,0] and satisfying its less-4 cap. That completes the grid.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1
Step 1: Resolve the top-center triple
The equal cells [0,1] and [0,2] must match, while [0,3] has a greater-than-3 requirement. The [4,4] domino placed across [0,2]/[0,3] handles both: [0,2] is 4 and [0,3] is 4. Now [0,1] is forced to 4.
2
Step 2: Drop to the first equal pair
With [0,1] forced to 4, its only available neighbor is [1,1]. Use the [1,4] domino there: 4 at [0,1], 1 at [1,1]. The equal region [1,1]/[2,1] now makes [2,1] a 1.
3
Step 3: Follow the sum-4 chain left
Cell [2,1] pairs with [2,0] via the [1,2] domino; put 1 at [2,1] and 2 at [2,0]. The sum-4 region [2,0]+[3,0] then forces [3,0] to be 2.
4
Step 4: Settle the lower-left corner
The only remaining neighbor for [3,0] is [4,0], which carries a less-4 cap. Place [2,3] vertically with 2 at [3,0] and 3 at [4,0], satisfying the cap.
5
Step 5: Fill the remaining forced regions
The equal pair [3,1]/[4,1] takes the double [5,5]. The high-sum region [1,2]/[2,2] uses [5,6] with 5 at [1,2] and 6 at [2,2]. Finally, the right-side sum-3 column [0,4]/[1,4] uses [0,3] with 3 at [0,4] and 0 at [1,4].

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1
Step 1: Start with the top-left single sum
The one-cell sum region at [0,1] forces a 2 there. Its practical partner is [0,2], so place the [6,2] domino with 2 at [0,1] and 6 at [0,2]. Then the two-cell sum-10 region [0,2]+[0,3] makes [0,3]=4; that cell pairs with [1,3] via the [3,4] domino, placing 3 at [1,3] and 4 at [0,3].
2
Step 2: Use the center-right single sum
The single sum at [2,4] forces a 4. Pair it with [2,3] via the [4,6] domino, giving 6 at [2,3]. The adjacent sum-12 region [2,2]+[2,3] then requires [2,2]=6. Place [6,3] at [2,2]/[1,2] with 6 at [2,2] and 3 at [1,2], adding to the row-1 equals band.
3
Step 3: Work bottom-left sum-2 single
The single sum at [4,3] forces a 2. It pairs horizontally with [4,2] using [2,4], putting 4 at [4,2]. The equal region [4,1]/[4,2] then forces [4,1]=4, so [4,1] pairs with [4,0] via [4,5], giving 5 at [4,0]. The sum-8 region [3,0]+[4,0] then gives [3,0]=3; place [2,3] at [2,0]/[3,0] with 2 at [2,0] and 3 at [3,0].
4
Step 4: Work bottom-right single sum
The single sum at [3,6] forces a 5. Pair it with [4,6] using [5,1], giving 1 at [4,6]. Then the row-4 equals tail [4,4],[4,5],[4,6] must all be 1; place [1,1] at [4,4]/[4,5].
5
Step 5: Complete the row-1 equals band
With [1,2] and [1,3] already set to 3, the five-cell equal region [1,1]–[1,5] demands the rest be 3. Place [3,3] at [1,4]/[1,5], then [3,0] at [1,0]/[1,1] with 0 at [1,0] and 3 at [1,1], satisfying the single sum-0 at [1,0].
6
Step 6: Finish the remaining top/right sums
The sum-12 region [2,5]/[2,6] is a 6+6, so drop [6,6] there. The top sum-10 [0,4]/[0,5] needs the double 5. The equal pair [0,6]/[1,6] is the double 2. All leftovers are now forced.

💡 Pro Tips for Similar Puzzles

Start with Constraints
Always begin with the most constrained regions - sum regions with small numbers or tight spaces.
Use Equal Regions
Use "equal" regions as anchors - they eliminate many possibilities quickly.
Work Systematically
Let the rules guide your placement rather than guessing randomly.
Double-Check
Verify each region's rules are satisfied before moving to the next.

🎓 Keep Learning & Improve

🧠 Strategy Guide

Master the core techniques to solve any Pips puzzle, no matter the difficulty.

🎮 How to Play

New to Pips? Learn all the rules and conditional regions in minutes.

📖 More to Read

Aug 30, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 30, 2026

View Answer →
Aug 29, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 29, 2026

View Answer →
Aug 28, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 28, 2026

View Answer →
Aug 27, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 27, 2026

View Answer →
Aug 26, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 26, 2026

View Answer →
Aug 25, 2026

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for August 25, 2026

View Answer →

💬 Community Discussion

Leave your comment