NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 14, 2026

Jan 14, 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

On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the NYT Pips puzzle lands right in the middle of the week with a calm but deeply satisfying logic challenge—perfect for pausing, thinking, and solving together.

Midweek puzzles like this are ideal for slowing down, clearing your head, and enjoying the shared rhythm of discovery that NYT Pips is known for.

Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s set gently encourages conversation and comparison.

Each grid reveals its logic step by step, making it easy to exchange a Pips Hint, test an idea aloud, or revisit an assumption that suddenly clicks into place.

The Easy puzzle (ID 519), constructed by Ian Livengood, feels warm and approachable.

With clean equals regions and a compact domino pool, it’s an excellent entry point for the day—perfect for posting an early pips hint today or helping another solver get unstuck quickly.

The Medium puzzle (ID 543) raises the bar by expanding the grid and introducing higher sum targets.

Here, progress often comes from discussion: comparing placements, double-checking totals, and refining logic as a group. It’s the kind of puzzle where shared reasoning genuinely pays off.

For solvers ready to go deeper, the Hard puzzle (ID 564) by Rodolfo Kurchan is where collaboration shines brightest.

Layered sums, unequal regions, and carefully balanced constraints reward patient analysis and thoughtful back-and-forth—making every solved section feel earned.

Whether you’re trading hints, reviewing a full solution, or simply enjoying a thoughtful NYT Pips hint today with friends, January 14, 2026 is a strong reminder that Pips puzzles are often at their best when solved together, one idea at a time.

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 - So easy

Just do it

💡 Hint #1 - Scan the Limited Set

Begin by inventorying all available dominoes. With a small, fixed set, note which pips are rare (like 6 and 0) and which doubles exist, as these will strongly constrain sum and equal regions later.

💡 Hint #2 - Satisfy the Inequality First

Large greater-than regions benefit from early attention. To exceed 9 in Yellow >9 while feeding Blue 1 and Purple 2, prioritize high-value splits that simultaneously satisfy neighboring low-sum regions.

💡 Hint #3 - Lock the Equal Region

When an Equal region can only take one repeated value from the remaining pool, place it immediately. Fixing a double early reduces branching and prevents wasting flexible dominoes.

💡 Hint #4 - Build the Big Sum Backwards

For a large sum like 13, work backward from the target using remaining pips. Combining unavoidable extremes (0 and 6s) quickly narrows the configuration and resolves adjacent small-sum regions.

💡 Hint #5 - Finish with Forced Placements

In the endgame, remaining dominoes usually have only one viable orientation. Use greater-than constraints and completed equals to confirm placements cleanly and close the grid.

💡 Hint #1 - Pip Distribution Lock

Start by counting scarce pips. The limited number of 6s and 2s immediately constrains the Blue 12, Purple 12, and Light Blue 2 regions, forcing 6-6 into a 12-sum zone and reserving a 2 pip for later.

💡 Hint #2 - Force the Triple-Five

A large sum region (15) with strict adjacency means only repeated high pips can work. Recognizing that 15 must be formed by three 5s locks multiple dominoes at once and clarifies nearby low-value regions.

💡 Hint #3 - Resolve the Only Fit

When a high-sum region has a single remaining valid option, place it immediately. Using 6-6 in the Purple 12 region removes uncertainty and simplifies all other 6-dependent areas.

💡 Hint #4 - Mirror the Remaining Sum

After fixing one 12-sum region, the second 12 becomes deterministic. Pair the remaining 6s carefully, watching how leftover pips satisfy zero and equal constraints at the same time.

💡 Hint #5 - Pair Equals Early

Equal regions are best solved as soon as their value is known. Identifying Yellow 2 as 1+1 and Green Equal as 3 stabilizes the board and prevents misusing rare doubles.

💡 Hint #6 - Cascade from a Single Pip

A single confirmed pip can unlock multiple regions. With one 1 already placed, Yellow Equal becomes fixed, which in turn forces a triple-4 structure in the Purple 12 region.

💡 Hint #7 - Use Inequality to Filter

Greater-than and less-than regions act as filters. Assigning the correct side of a domino to Red >4 and Light Blue <3 eliminates remaining ambiguity in equal regions.

💡 Hint #8 - Finish with Contrasts

Endgame regions often resolve by contrast. A Not Equal constraint combined with a fixed sum leaves only one valid split, allowing the final dominoes to drop cleanly into place.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 14, 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 January 14, 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 January 14, 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: [6-0], [5-5], [4-4], [4-0].

2

Step 2: Purple Equal --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by all regions and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Yellow 0 + Light Blue Equal + Red 10 --(Arrows ②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-0, 4-4, 4-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 4. The domino halves in Red 10 region must be 4+6. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally; 6-0 (0 right into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [5-2], [5-1], [4-2], [3-2], [3-1], [2-2], [2-0].

2

Step 2: Blue 1 + Yellow >9 + Top Purple 2 --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by all regions and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Yellow >9 region must add up to be more than 9. The answer is 1-5 (1 into Blue 1 region, 5 into Yellow >9 region), placed horizontally; 5-2 (5 into Yellow >9 region, 2 into Top Purple 2 region), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Red Equal --(Arrows ③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 4-2, 3-2, 3-1, 2-2, 2-0). Need one dominp with the same number placed in this region, the domino halves in this region must be 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Bottom Purple 2 + Light Blue 13 --(Arrows ④⑤⑥)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (6-6, 4-2, 3-2, 3-1, 2-0). The domino halves in Light Blue 13 region must be 0+6+6+1. The answer is 2-0 (2 into Bottom Purple 2 region), placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically; 1-3 (3 up into blank), placed vertically

5

Step 5: Red Equal + Green >3 --(Arrows ⑦⑧)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (4-2, 3-2). The answer is 2-3 (2 into Red Equal region, 3 down into blank), placed vertically; 4-2 (4 into Green >3 region, 2 down into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-1], [6-0], [5-3], [5-2], [5-1], [4-4], [4-3], [4-1], [3-3], [3-1], [3-0], [2-1], [1-1], [0-0]. Only 4 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-6, 6-1, 6-0) for Blue 12 region and Right Purple 12 region, [6-6] must placed in one of them. Only 2 domino halves that contain 2 pips (5-2, 2-1), need one for Light Blue 2 region.

2

Step 2: Light Blue 15 + Blue 1 + Green >2 --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Light Blue 15 region must be 5+5+5, only 3 dominoes with 5 pips (5-3, 5-2, 5-1). The answer is 5-1 (1 into Blue 1 region), placed horizontally; 5-3 (3 into Green >2 region), placed vertically; 5-2 (2 left into blank), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Right Purple 12 --(Arrows ④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and remaining dominoes. The answer is 6-6 (whole domino), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Blue 12 --(Arrows ⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Blue 12 region must be 6+6. The answer is 6-0 (0 into Red 0 region), placed vertically; 6-1 (1 into Yellow Equal region), placed vertically.

5

Step 5: Red 0 + Green Equal + Yellow 2 --(Arrows ⑦⑧⑨)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and step 2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Yellow 2 region must be 1+1. The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3. The answer is 0-3 (0 into Red 0 region), placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 1-1 (whole domino), placed vertically.

6

Step 6: Yellow Equal + Top Purple 12 --(Arrows ⑩⑪)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 4 and remaining dominoes (4-4, 4-3, 4-1, 3-1, 2-1, 0-0). The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 1 (one 1s come from step 4). The domino halves in Top Purple 12 region must be 4+4+4. The answer is 1-4 (1 into Yellow Equal region), placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.

7

Step 7: Purple Equal + Red >4 + Light Blue <3 --(Arrows ⑫⑬)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (4-3, 3-1, 2-1, 0-0). The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 3. The answer is 3-4 (4 into Red >4 region), placed vertically; 3-1 (1 into Light Blue <3 region), placed vertically.

8

Step 8: Red Not Equal + Light Blue 2 --(Arrows ⑭⑮)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (2-1, 0-0). The domino halves in Red Not Equal region must be 1+0. The answer is 1-2 (2 into Light Blue 2 region), placed horizontally; 0-0 (one 0s right into blank), placed horizontally.

🎥 NYT Pips January 14, 2026 Solution Walkthrough｜Midweek Logic, Clean Breakthroughs & Pips Hints

An excellent source of quick pips hint today moments.

💡 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

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