NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for December 12, 2025

Dec 12, 2025

🚨 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.

🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

The December 12, 2025 (Friday) puzzle set arrives with a warm creative glow, closing out the week under the steady editorial hand of Ian Livengood — and with the holiday season in full swing, this lineup feels like a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves beautifully designed puzzles.

Easy #435, crafted by Livengood, reads like a tiny artistic vignette: five expressive dominoes, a clean rhythm of sum regions, and a structure that feels both inviting and intentionally balanced.

Medium #442, designed by Rodolfo Kurchan, carries his signature style — deliberate tension, harmonized sum targets, and a dynamic logic flow that rewards patience and pattern-spotting.

Hard #445, also by Kurchan, expands that creative voice into a full architectural composition, mixing equals-lines, inequality contrasts, and satisfying region interactions that make every discovery feel earned.

As this Friday lands during the festive stretch of December, it’s a perfect moment to slow down and appreciate the artistry behind today’s puzzles.

Whether you're savoring each deduction, studying the constructors’ stylistic fingerprints, or analyzing clever region interplay with a personal Pips Hint or two, December 12, 2025 offers three puzzle masterpieces worth celebrating.

May your Friday be filled with insight, creativity, and elegant solutions — and may today’s beautifully crafted gridwork bring a little extra brightness to your December.

Written by anna

Puzzle Analyst – Lucas

💡 Progressive Hints

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

💡 Hint #1 - Purple 10

The domino halves in this region must be 5+5+0.

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-3], [4-2], [4-1], [3-1], [3-0]. Only one domino with 0 pips (3-0). Only one domino with 2 pips (4-2). Only 2 dominoes with 1 pips (4-1, 3-1). The domino halves in Purple 2 region must be 0+2 or 1+1, Therefor, one 3s must placed in Light Blue 8 region, the domino halves in Light Blue 8 region must be 3+5; one 4s must placed in Red 10 region, the domino halves in Red 10 region must be 4+6.

💡 Hint #2 - Purple 2

Assume the domino halves in this region might be 1+1.

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Dominoes Include: [6-4], [6-2], [6-0], [5-2], [5-1], [5-0], [4-0], [2-2], [2-1], [2-0], [1-1]. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 2.

💡 Hint #2 - Red Equal

The domino halves in this region may be 1.

💡 Hint #3 - Green Equal

The domino halves in this region may be 0.

🎨 Pips Solver

Dec 12, 2025

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 December 12, 2025 – 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 December 12, 2025 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

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-1], [5-5], [4-0], [0-0]

2

Step 2: Purple 10 --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need a whole domino placed in this region. The domino halves in this region must be 5+5+0. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 0-4 (4 into Light Blue 10 region), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Light Blue 10 + Blue <2 --(Arrows ③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Light Blue 10 region must be 4+6. The answer is 6-1 (1 into Blue <2 region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Red 6 + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 0-0). The answer is 6-6 (one 6s right into blank), placed horizontally; 0-0 (whole domino into Yellow Equal region), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-3], [4-2], [4-1], [3-1], [3-0]. Only one domino with 0 pips (3-0). Only one domino with 2 pips (4-2). Only 2 dominoes with 1 pips (4-1, 3-1). The domino halves in Purple 2 region must be 0+2 or 1+1, Therefor, one 3s must placed in Light Blue 8 region, the domino halves in Light Blue 8 region must be 3+5; one 4s must placed in Red 10 region, the domino halves in Red 10 region must be 4+6.

2

Step 2: Purple 2 --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. When it is unclear, take the first step boldly, assume the domino halves in this region must be 1+1. The answer is 1-3 (3 into Light Blue 8 region), placed vertically; 1-4 (4 into Red 10 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Green 9 + Blue <3 --(Arrows ③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 2 and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 4-2, 3-0). The domino halves in Green 9 region must be 6+3. The answer is 5-6 (5 into Light Blue 8 region), placed vertically; 3-0 (0 into Blue <3 region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Yellow 6 + Purple 7 + Red >3 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-3, 4-2). The domino halves in Yellow 6 region must be 4+2. The domino halves in Purple 7 region must be 4+3. The answer is 6-4 (6 into Red 10 region, 4 into Yellow 6 region), placed vertically; 2-4 (2 into Yellow 6 region, 4 into Purple 7 region), placed vertically; 3-6 (6 into Red >3 region), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Verify

The answer is correct to all regions, so the assumption is confirmed.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-4], [6-2], [6-0], [5-2], [5-1], [5-0], [4-0], [2-2], [2-1], [2-0], [1-1]. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 2.

2

Step 2: Red Equal --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need a whole domino placed in this region. The domino halves in this region must be 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 1-2 (2 into Purple Equal region), placed horizontally; 1-5 (5 into Light Blue 10 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Light Blue 10 + Green Equal --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and step 2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Light Blue 10 region must be 5+5. The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 0-2 (2 into Purple Equal region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Yellow 5 + Blue 4 + Red Not Equal --(Arrows ⑥⑦⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-2, 6-0, 5-2, 4-0, 2-2). The domino halves in Red Not Equal region must be 0 and 6. The answer is 5-2 (2 into Purple Equal region), placed horizontally; 4-0 (0 into Red Not Equal region), placed vertically; 6-2 (6 into Red Not Equal region, 2 into Purple Equal region), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑨)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-0, 2-2). The answer is 2-2, placed vertically.

6

Step 6: Light Blut Not Equal --(Arrows ⑩⑪)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 6-0). The domino halves in this region must be 6+4. The answer is 0-6 (0 into Green Equal region), placed vertically; 4-6 (6 up into blank), placed vertically.

🎥 NYTpips Strategy Breakdown 📈 | Game-Changing Moves Revealed

Watch closely for the key moments, then pause and analyze each step.

💡 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

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🎮 How to Play

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