NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for December 25, 2025

Dec 25, 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

Thursday, December 25, 2025, marks a special Christmas Day edition of the NYT Pips puzzle, offering a calm but clever logic break right in the middle of the holiday 🎄

Whether you’re solving between family moments or unwinding with a cup of coffee, today’s Pips set is designed to feel thoughtful, festive, and deeply satisfying.

Edited by Ian Livengood, the December 25 lineup leans into clear structure and rewarding deduction, making it especially fun to pause, reflect, and trade Pips hints as patterns emerge. This is a great day for slower solving, careful domino tracking, and sharing insights with the wider puzzle community.

Easy #500 starts things off with a compact grid and clean sum regions. It’s approachable without being trivial, perfect for warming up your logic muscles and spotting early-number relationships that set the tone for the day’s puzzles.

Medium #501 adds more texture, introducing additional dominoes alongside mixed greater-than and less-than constraints. Here, elimination and comparison become key, and discussing partial solutions or hint strategies can make a real difference.

Hard #502, crafted by Rodolfo Kurchan, is the centerpiece of the holiday challenge. With a dense grid, multiple equals blocks, and layered sum regions, this puzzle rewards patience, precision, and collaborative thinking. It’s the kind of design where every domino placement feels earned.

On this Christmas Day, NYT Pips delivers more than just puzzles — it offers a shared logic experience.

Solve thoughtfully, exchange Pips hints, and enjoy uncovering the solutions together.

Written by Joy

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 - A piece of cake

Just do it.

💡 Hint #1 - Inventory First: Spot the Forced Anchors

Start by scanning the domino list for unique values. A single 5 immediately locks into the Red 5 region, while the only double-6 becomes a critical boundary piece between the two 10-sum regions. Early inventory checks reveal which placements are non-negotiable.

💡 Hint #2 - Let Big Sums Compete for Scarce Numbers

Both Light Blue 10 and Blue 10 demand high totals, but only a few large pips exist. By comparing scarcity (6s and 4s), you can deduce that each region must pair a 6 with a 4, resolving multiple placements at once through resource tension.

💡 Hint #3 - Equals Regions Prefer Clean Doubles

When an Equal region appears and mixed values create conflicts, prioritize remaining doubles. With other options eliminated by neighboring constraints, a clean pair like 1-1 becomes the safest and most stable fit.

💡 Hint #4 - Zero as a Constraint, Not a Filler

Zero pips aren’t passive — they actively restrict sums and inequalities. Once the Equal region demands zeros, the 5-0 placement locks Red 5 and simultaneously resolves a nearby less-than region, collapsing several uncertainties.

💡 Hint #5 - Finish by Resolving Inequalities Through Balance

With sums nearly complete, inequalities decide the endgame. Assign remaining low values to <3 regions and higher leftovers to >3 regions, using balance rather than exact sums to finalize consistent placements.

💡 Hint #1 - Scan the Extremes First

Start by counting rare pips. With very few 6s and 0s available, lock in which regions must consume them. This immediately fixes Yellow 12 and Red 0 as priority targets, and reveals that Yellow 10 can only be formed by a double 5.

💡 Hint #2 - Let Equals Regions Collapse Options

Use the Equal constraint to force a single value. Red Equal can only be satisfied by 2s given the remaining domino set, which simultaneously determines how Purple 6 and the Light Blue Equal region must be fed.

💡 Hint #3 - Finish the Sum When the Count Is Forced

Once pip counts leave only one possible domino containing a key value, commit it immediately. With all other 6s accounted for, Yellow 12 becomes a forced placement using the remaining double.

💡 Hint #4 - Chain Equal Regions Into Bulk Deductions

Treat Equal regions as multipliers. Fixing Light Blue Equal to 4 instantly determines Green 4 as four identical contributions, allowing you to clear multiple regions in one logical sweep.

💡 Hint #5 - Resolve Zero and High-Sum Regions Together

Zero-sum regions eliminate flexibility fast. Once Red 0 is locked, the remaining high-sum regions (Light Blue 12 and Blue 15) can only be satisfied by repeating the same pip values, dramatically reducing the board.

💡 Hint #6 - Use Not-Equal as the Final Filter

Save Not Equal regions for the end. When only two dominoes remain, the inequality constraint acts as a clean tie-breaker, confirming the final placements without additional trial.

🎨 Pips Solver

Dec 25, 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 25, 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 25, 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], [5-1], [5-0], [4-2], [3-1].

2

Step 2: Purple 2 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only one domino with 2 pips (4-2). The answer is 2-4 (4 down into blank), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Red 12 --(Arrows ②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. Only one domino with 6 pips (6-6). The answer is 6-6 (whole domino), placed vertically

4

Step 4: Light Blue 10 + Blue <1 + Yellow >1 --(Arrows ③④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-1, 5-0, 3-1). The domino halves in Light Blue 10 region must be 5+5. The answer is 0-5 (0 into Blue <1 region), placed vertically; 5-1 (1 up into blank), placed vertically; 3-1 (3 into Yellow >1 region, 1 up into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [5-0], [4-3], [4-1], [3-0], [2-1], [2-0], [1-1], [1-0]. Only domino with 5 pips (5-0) for Red 5 region. [6-6] must placed in the boundary between Light Blue 10 region and Blue 10 region.

2

Step 2: Light Blue 10 + Blue 10 --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only one domino with 6 pips (6-6), only two dominoes with 4 pips (4-3, 4-1). The domino halves in these regions must be 6+4. The answer is 6-6 (one 6s into Light Blue 10 region, one 6s into Blue 10 region), placed vertically; 4-1 (4 into Blue 10 region, 1 into Green <3 region), placed vertically; 4-3 (4 into Light Blue 10 region, 3 into Red >3 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Purple Equal --(Arrows ④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and relative position and remaining dominoes (5-0, 3-0, 2-1, 2-0, 1-1, 1-0). Need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Red 5 + Light Blue Equal --(Arrows ⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-0, 3-0, 2-1, 2-0, 1-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 0. The answer is 5-0 (5 into Red 5 region), placed horizontally; 0-1 (1 into Green <3 region, the Green <3 region done), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Yellow 5 + Purple <3 + Red >3 --(Arrows ⑦⑧⑨)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-0, 2-1, 2-0). The domino halves in Yellow 5 region must be 2+3. The answer is 0-3 (0 down into blank), placed vertically; 2-0 (0 into Purple <3 region), placed vertically; 2-1 (2 into Purple <3 region, 1 into Red >3 region), placed horizontally. So the domino halves in Purple <3 region are 0+2, the domino halves in Red >3 region are 1+3 (3s come from step 2).

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-2], [5-5], [5-4], [5-3], [5-1], [4-4], [4-3], [4-2], [4-1], [3-3], [3-0], [2-2], [1-1], [1-0]. Only 3 domino halves that contain 6 pips, need one for Purple 6 region, need two for Yellow 12 region. Only 2 domino halves that contain 0 pips for Red 0 region. The domino halves in Yellow 10 region must be 5+5.

2

Step 2: Purple 6 + Red Equal --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 2. The answer is 6-2 (6 into Purple 6 region), placed vertically; 2-4 (4 into Light Blue Equal region), placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Yellow 12 --(Arrows ④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. Only one domino left that with 6 pips (6-6). The answer is 6-6 (whole domino), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Light Blue Equal + Green 4 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 4. The domino halves in Green 4 region must be 1+1+1+1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically; 1-5 (5 into Yellow 10 region), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Purple 1 + Red 0 + Light Blue 12 + Blue 15 --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪⑫⑬)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-5, 5-4, 5-3, 4-3, 3-3, 3-0, 1-0). The domino halves in Red 0 region must be 0+0. The domino halves in Light Blue 12 region must be 3+3+3+3. The domino halves in Blue 15 region must be 5+5+5. The answer is 1-0 (1 into Purple 1 region), placed horizontally; 0-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically; 5-5, placed vertically.

6

Step 6: Yellow 10 + Blue Not Equal --(Arrows ⑭⑮)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-4, 4-3). The domino halves in Blue Not Equal region must be 4+3. The answer is 5-4 (5 into Yellow 10 region), placed horizontally; 3-4 (4 down into blank), placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips Christmas Day Logic Walkthrough 🎄 | December 25, 2025 (Easy 500 · Medium 501 · Hard 502)

walk through all three difficulties step by step, sharing clear reasoning

💡 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

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for December 26, 2025

View Answer →

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for December 24, 2025

View Answer →

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for December 23, 2025

View Answer →

💬 Community Discussion

Leave your comment