NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for December 9, 2025

Dec 9, 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

Tuesday, December 9, 2025, arrives with a brand-new trio of Pips NYT puzzles edited by Ian Livengood, and the entire set feels perfectly tuned for shared solving, lively discussion threads, and that warm end-of-year spirit of swapping clever Pips Hints with fellow puzzlers. With the holiday season just around the corner, today’s puzzles offer the ideal mix of friendly challenge and community buzz.

Easy #410, crafted by Livengood, sets a cheerful pace for the day.

You get a conversational 3-sum opener, a clean equals pair that rewards quick pattern spotting, two empties that shift the opening strategy, and a tidy 2-sum closer tying everything together. It’s the kind of grid where players naturally ask each other, “Which clue cracked it open for you first?” — and those shared “Aha!” moments become part of the fun. The puzzle feels intentionally social, built for exchanging insights and celebrating those mini-victories.

Medium #413, designed by Rodolfo Kurchan, deepens the community energy.

A bold 7-sum triple sets the tone, followed by layered mid-grid regions (9, 4, and 2) that invite multiple solving paths. Add in two strategically placed empties and a beautifully positioned 0-sum tile, and you get a puzzle that practically encourages group conversation. It’s perfect for posting comparison screenshots, debating alternate deduction routes, or trading that one crucial Pips Hint that makes everything fall into place.

Hard #417, also by Kurchan, brings full “Sunday forum energy” into a weekday puzzle.

A strong 14-sum opener, a demanding central equals cluster, a 17-sum vertical run, and a set of greater-than/less-than gates transform the grid into a collaborative challenge playground. Solvers often end up teaming up — debating interpretations, sharing mid-grid breakthroughs, and cheering each other through the final deduction cascade. It’s the kind of hard puzzle that feels best enjoyed together.

A fully community-powered Tuesday — ideal for trading hints, comparing paths, and enjoying the collaborative thrill of a well-built Pips puzzle set. Happy early-December solving, and may your grids be clean and your deductions satisfying!

Written by Joe

Puzzle Analyst – Sophia

💡 Progressive Hints

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

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Only one domino with 6 pips (6-0), 6 pips must placed in blank.

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Dominoes Include: [5-3], [5-1], [4-3], [4-0], [2-1], [1-1], [1-0]. The domino halves in Red 9 region must be 5+4.

💡 Hint #2 - Light Blue 4

The domino halves in this region must be 4+0.

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-3], [6-2], [5-5], [5-4], [5-0], [4-0], [3-2], [2-2], [2-0], [1-0]. The domino halves in Yellow 17 region must be 6+6+5. The domino halves in Blue 12 region must be 6+6. Only 4 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2), need 2 for Blue 12 region, need 2 for Yellow 17 region. Only 5 domino halves that contain 5 pips; need 1 for Yellow 17 region, at least one is required for Yellow >8 region, at least two is required for Red 14 region.

🎨 Pips Solver

Dec 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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: [6-0], [3-2], [3-1], [2-2]. Only one domino with 6 pips (6-0), 6 pips must placed in blank.

2

Step 2: Light Blue 2 --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in this region must be 0+2. The answer is 6-0 (6 left into blank), placed horizontally; 2-3 (3 into Red Equal region, can't be 2-2, confirmed by step 3), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Red Equal + Purple 3 --(Arrows ③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-1, 2-2). The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 3. The domino halves in Purple 3 region must be 1+2. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 2-2 (one 2s left into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [5-3], [5-1], [4-3], [4-0], [2-1], [1-1], [1-0].

2

Step 2: Red 9 + Yellow 2 + Green 0 --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. No domino sum to 9, the domino halves in Red 9 region must be 5+4. Confirmed by the dominoes with 0 pips (4-0, 1-0), the domino halves in Yellow 2 region must be 1+1. The answer is 0-1 (0 into Green 0 region), placed horizontally; 1-5, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Light Blue 4 + Blue 5 --(Arrows ③④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and relative position and remaining dominoes (5-3, 4-3, 4-0, 2-1, 1-1). The domino halves in Light Blue 4 region must be 0+4 (confirmed by step 4, account for placement of the next step.). Therefor, The domino halves in Blue 5 region must be 3+2. The answer is 4-0 (4 into Red 9 region), placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically; 2-1 (1 left into blank), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Purple 7 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-3, 1-1). The domino halves in this region must be 1+1+5. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 5-3 (3 down into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-3], [6-2], [5-5], [5-4], [5-0], [4-0], [3-2], [2-2], [2-0], [1-0]. The domino halves in Yellow 17 region must be 6+6+5. The domino halves in Blue 12 region must be 6+6. Only 4 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2), need 2 for Blue 12 region, need 2 for Yellow 17 region. Only 5 domino halves that contain 5 pips; need 1 for Yellow 17 region, at least one is required for Yellow >8 region, at least two is required for Red 14 region.

2

Step 2: Red Equal + Blue <3 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only 5 domino halves that contain 2 pips (6-2, 3-2, 2-2, 2-0). The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 2. The answer is 6-2 (6 into Blue 12 region), placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-0 (0 into Blue <3 region), placed vertically; 2-3 (3 up into blank), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position and remaining dominoes. Only 3 domino halves left that contain 0 pips (5-0, 4-0, 1-0). The domino halves in this region must be 0. The answer is 0-5 (5 into Yellow 17 region), placed vertically; 0-4 (4 into Red 14 region), placed vertically; 0-1 (1 up into blank), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Red 14 --(Arrows ⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 3 and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 5-5, 5-4). The domino halves in this region must be 4+5+5. The answer is 5-5 (whole domino), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Light Blue Equal + Yellow >8 --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 5-4). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 4. The domino halves in Yelllow >8 region must be 5+5. The answer is 6-4 (6 into Yellow 17 region), placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically; 5-6 (6 into Blue 12 region), placed horizontally.

6

Step 6: Green <4 --(Arrows ⑫)

The answer is 6-3 (6 into Yellow 17 region, 3 into Green <4 region), placed vertically.

🎥 Catch this quick clip to spot the clever domino placement that unlocks the logic in today’s Pips NYT puzzle

Let this be your daily Pips Hint — then try it out on your own puzzle and see how much faster you can solve.

💡 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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💬 Community Discussion

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