🚨 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!
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Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.
🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview
NYT Pips for Thursday, February 12, 2026 is a clean three-tier deduction set that rewards players who track tile scarcity and region structure.
With Easy ID 597, Medium ID 628, and Hard ID 654, you’ll be working through multiple equals zones, precise sum constraints, and a domino pool that forces sharp decision-making. This is the kind of puzzle day where counting pips matters as much as reading the grid. Edited by Ian Livengood, the full set feels balanced: approachable early solves, then increasingly strict logic pressure.
If you want a reliable NYT Pips solution, detailed hints, or a step-by-step breakdown, February 12, 2026 is a perfect test-your-skills puzzle day.
Written by Joy
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 - So easy
Just do it
💡 Hint #1 - Missing 5s = Instant Constraint Map (Lock Down 8-Sums Early)
Start by exploiting the biggest absence: there are no 5-pip dominoes in the entire set. That instantly limits every Number 8 region to only two realistic builds: 2+6 or 4+4. From there, treat the Equal regions as value filters—since repetition is limited, Red Equal and Purple Equal can only reasonably collapse into values that still appear cleanly multiple times, narrowing the candidates to 2 or 0 before any placement is made.
💡 Hint #2 - Track the Scarce 6s to Force Red Equal Into 0
The key pips hint is scarcity: only two dominoes contain a 6 (6-2 and 6-0). Since the Blue 8 region must include a full 8-sum, a 6 is basically forced into that zone. Once a 6 is committed, Red Equal loses the ability to stay flexible and can no longer safely be 6 or 2-based. That deduction hard-locks Red Equal to 0, making 0-0 inevitable and pushing the remaining 6 into the Light Blue >0 region.
💡 Hint #3 - Finish by Equal-Cascade: One Fixed Value Triggers the Next
After Red is confirmed as 0 and the 6 placement is accounted for, the leftover pool becomes a controlled endgame. Use an Equal-cascade strategy: Purple Equal is forced to 2, Yellow Equal is forced to 3, and the Green 8 region must become 4+4 because the 2+6 option is already consumed by the Blue 8 logic. At this stage, every region rule acts like a funnel—each confirmed pip value removes the last ambiguity and the remaining dominoes place themselves.
💡 Hint #1 - Use Pip Scarcity to Force the 4-3 Boundary
Start by counting rare pips. The board needs multiple 0s for the Number 0 region, but 6s are tightly limited for the Light Blue Equal zone. The key breakthrough is scarcity: there are only four 4-pip halves and only four 3-pip halves, so the only reliable way to satisfy both Equal regions is to lock [4-3] onto the boundary between Bottom Purple Equal and Red Equal.
💡 Hint #2 - Solve the Equal Regions First (3 / 5 / 6 Lock-In)
Once [4-3] is forced, the Equal regions collapse quickly. Red Equal must become 3, Top Purple Equal must become 5, and Light Blue Equal must become 6. From there, Yellow 0 forces a 0+0 placement, and Green 6 can only be 1+5. This step is all about chaining Equal-region deductions until the whole center structure becomes fixed.
💡 Hint #3 - Take the Free Placement — Blue 0 Can Only Be 0-0
After the major Equal regions are resolved, check what remains. Blue 0 has no flexibility: it must be satisfied by the only clean full-zero domino available. Drop 0-0 immediately to remove uncertainty and reduce the remaining domino pool.
💡 Hint #4 - Resolve the Double-Zero Requirement and Pin the 4 + 1 Values
Light Blue 0 forces another 0+0 contribution, which means the remaining 0-domino must connect into that area. Bottom Purple Equal is already anchored by the earlier 4, so the region must be all 4s. Meanwhile Green Equal can only be 1s. This step is a classic pips hint: let forced 0s determine placement direction, then use Equal zones to lock the digit identity.
💡 Hint #5 - Finish with Remaining Domino Filtering (Blue =2, Purple >4)
At the end, the leftover dominoes reveal everything. Blue Equal must be 2 because it’s the only repeated value still possible. Then Purple >4 requires the 5, forcing 2-5 into that region. Yellow <4 must take the 1, forcing 2-1. The final 2-4 becomes the cleanup placement, completing the grid through pure elimination.
🎨 Pips Solver
Feb 12, 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
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
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: [5-3], [5-0], [4-0], [3-2], [1-1].
2
Step 2: Light Blue Equal --(Arrows ①)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Yellow 4 + Purple Equal + Red Equal + Green Equal + Blue 2 --(Arrows ②③④⑤)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-3, 5-0, 4-0, 3-2). The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 0. The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 5. The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3. The answer is 4-0 (4 into Yellow 4 region), placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-2], [6-0], [4-3], [4-2], [3-2], [2-2], [0-0]. No domino with 5 pips, the domino halves in Number 8 regions must be 2+6 or 4+4. The domino halves in Red Equal region and Purple Equal region must be 2 or 0.
2
Step 2: Blue 8 + Red Equal + Light Blue >0 --(Arrows ①②③)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only 2 dominoes with 6 pips (6-2, 6-0), Need one domino sum to be 8 placed in this region. Therefore, the domino halves in Red Equal must be 0. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 0-0, placed vertically; 0-6 (6 into Light Blue >0 region), placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Purple Equal + Yellow Equal + Green 8 --(Arrows ④⑤⑥⑦)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (4-3, 4-2, 3-2, 2-2). The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 2. The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 3. The domino halves in Green 8 region must be 4+4. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-2 (2 into blank), placed vertically.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1
Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-5], [6-1], [6-0], [5-3], [5-2], [5-0], [4-3], [4-2], [4-1], [4-0], [3-3], [2-1], [1-0], [0-0]. Only 6 domino halves that contain 0 pips for Number 0 region. Only 5 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-5, 5-3, 5-2, 5-0) for Light Blue Equal region. Only 4 domino halves that contain 4 pips (4-3, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0), only 4 domino halves that contain 3 pips (5-3, 4-3, 3-3), therefore, [4-3] must placed in the boundary between Bottom Purple Equal region and Red Equal region.
2
Step 2: Red Equal + Top Purple Equal + Light Blue Equal + Yellow 0 + Green 6 --(Arrows ①②③④⑤⑥⑦⑧)
Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Red Equal must be 3. The domino halves in Top Purple Equal must be 5. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal must be 6. The domino halves in Yellow 0 must be 0+0. The domino halves in Green 6 region must be 1+5. The answer is 3-4 (4 into Bottom Purple Equal region), placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-5, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed vertically.
3
Step 3: Blue 0 --(Arrows ⑨)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-2, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0, 2-1, 1-0, 0-0). The answer is 0-0 (whole domino), placed horizontally.
4
Step 4: Light Blue 0 + Bottom Purple Equal + Green Equal --(Arrows ⑩⑪⑫)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-2, 4-2, 4-1, 4-0, 2-1, 1-0). The domino halves in Light Blue 0 must be 0+0. The domino halves in Bottom Purple Equal must be 4 (one 4s already come from Arrows ①). The domino halves in Green Equal must be 1. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.
5
Step 5: Blue Equal + Purple >4 + Yellow <4 --(Arrows ⑬⑭⑮)
Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-2, 4-2, 2-1). The domino halves in Blue Equal must be 2. The answer is 2-5 (5 into Purple >4 region), placed vertically; 2-1 (1 into Yellow <4 region), placed vertically; 2-4 (4 into blank), placed horizontally.
🎥 NYT Pips February 12, 2026 (Thursday) — Full Solve + Pips Hint Today (Easy 597 / Medium 628 / Hard 654)
Drop your own solve time, favorite move, or best hint in the comments
💡 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.
💬 Community Discussion
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