NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for February 16, 2026

Feb 16, 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.

🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

NYT Pips on Monday, February 16, 2026 is a structured logic workout built for clean deduction.

With Easy ID 588, Medium ID 617, and Hard ID 643, today’s difficulty curve is steady — but the logic tightens fast once the domino pool shrinks.

Edited by Ian Livengood, the set highlights two distinct puzzle voices:

Easy is constructed by Ian Livengood, while both Medium and Hard are designed by Rodolfo Kurchan.

If you’re aiming for a fast solve, track the dominoes carefully and treat every equals, sum, and inequality region as a counting problem first.

For anyone looking up “NYT Pips solution” or “NYT Pips hints,” this is a day where precision beats guessing.

Written by Ander

Puzzle Analyst – Mark

💡 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 - Start with the Domino Inventory

Before placing anything, scan the pool for extreme values (double-6, double-4, double-0). When doubles exist, they often become the only clean way to satisfy strict region totals later.

💡 Hint #2 - Solve the Fixed Sum Region First

Any region with an exact total like Purple 8 is a free anchor. Check which domino can hit that sum cleanly — here only 4-4 guarantees 8 — and lock it in to stabilize the grid.

💡 Hint #3 - Use Inequality Regions to Force Zeros

Regions marked <3 usually collapse into forced low pips. If you can only make the requirement work with repeated zeros, place the 0-0 early and let the remaining low-value dominoes snap into place around it.

💡 Hint #4 - Finish by Matching High-Pip Pressure

When you see >5, treat it like a magnet for 6s. Combine that with a Not Equal region to distribute the remaining large numbers efficiently, then use the leftover mid-value piece to satisfy the final <5 constraint.

💡 Hint #1 - Domino Pool Scan

Pips Hint: Start by counting pip coverage. Since the Red Not Equal region must contain 0–6 exactly once, treat it as a full-number checklist and immediately flag which digits are scarce in the domino pool.

💡 Hint #2 - Lock the Forced Equals First

Pips Hint: When multiple Equal regions appear early, solve them before anything else. A single duplicate domino (like 2-2) often becomes mandatory, and once that value is fixed it forces nearby sum regions (like Light Blue 2) into only one valid split.

💡 Hint #3 - Use Big Sums to Identify High Pip Pairs

Pips Hint: Regions like Purple 11 and Green 7 should be solved by testing the only realistic high-pip combinations (6+5 for 11, 4+3 for 7). These “signature totals” narrow the domino pool instantly and reveal the only placements that can satisfy multiple constraints at once.

💡 Hint #4 - Finish with the 0–6 Checklist

Pips Hint: Once the board is partially filled, return to the Red Not Equal rule and fill missing digits like a Sudoku row. The last remaining dominoes usually complete the 0–6 set automatically, and any leftover blank cell will dictate orientation.

🎨 Pips Solver

Feb 16, 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 February 16, 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 February 16, 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

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

2

Step 2: Purple Equal --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in this region must be 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 1-6 (1 left into blank), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Red 9 + Light Blue 6 --(Arrows ③④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 4-4, 0-0). The domino halves in Red 9 region must be 4+5. The domino halves in Light Blue 6 region must be 6+0. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally; 0-0 (one 0s down into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-4], [4-4], [4-2], [3-2], [3-0], [0-0].

2

Step 2: Purple 8 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino sum to be 8 placed in this region. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Red <3 + Light Blue 8 --(Arrows ②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Red <3 region must be 0+0+0. The domino halves in Light Blue 8 region must be 3+5 (need one domino sum to be 5). The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Blue Not Equal + Green >5 + Yellow <5 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 6-4 ,4-2). The domino halves in Blue Not Equal region must be 6+4+2. The answer is 6-6 (6 into Green >5 region), placed horizontally; 2-4 (4 into Yellow <5 region), placed vertically; 4-6 (6 left into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-1], [6-0], [5-4], [5-3], [5-2], [5-0], [4-3], [4-2], [4-1], [2-2], [2-1], [1-0]. The domino halves in Red Not Equal region must be 0+1+2+3+4+5+6.

2

Step 2: Purple Equal + Light Blue 2 + Red Equal --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in Purple Equal region. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 2. The domino halves in Light Blue 2 region must be 1+1. The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 4. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically; 1-4, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Purple 11 + Yellow 1 + Blue Equal + Green 7 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦⑧)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (6-1, 6-0, 5-4, 5-3, 5-2, 5-0, 4-3, 1-0). The domino halves in Purple 11 region must be 6+5. The domino halves in Yellow 1 region must be 1+0. The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 5. The domino halves in Green 7 region must be 4+3. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Red Not Equal --(Arrows ⑨⑩⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-0, 5-2, 4-3, 1-0). The domino halves in this region must be 0+1+2+3+4+5+6. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically; 1-0 (0 right into blank), placed horizontally.

🎥 Master the Logic of NYT Pips (Feb 16, 2026): Step-by-Step Solutions & Tips for Easy, Medium, and Hard Levels

You’ll get a full breakdown of each step and learn how to improve your NYT Pips strategy

💡 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.

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