NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 21, 2026

Jan 21, 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

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 brings a fresh midweek multi-level domino puzzle challenge—perfect for sharpening your logic before the weekend arrives.

Today’s set features three carefully structured grids: easy puzzle ID 526, medium puzzle ID 550, and hard puzzle ID 572, each offering a distinct mix of domino configurations, region rules, and clever constraints.

Edited and constructed by Ian Livengood, with the hard-level design by Rodolfo Kurchan, this puzzle collection is built to test your skills step by step.

You’ll move from compact sum regions and clean equals zones into trickier greater-than conditions that reward patience and pattern recognition.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful “pips hint today,” focus first on scarce values and how each region’s logic interacts with its neighbors.

Analyze the grid, track every domino placement, and enjoy the satisfaction of pushing toward a clean solution with minimal hints.

Whether you’re here for a quick brain workout or a deep logic dive, today’s domino puzzle offers a rewarding challenge—and a great opportunity to refine your solving strategy.

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 - Observe

Only 2 dominoes with 4 pips (5-4, 4-4) for Purple 4 region and Light Blue 4 region.

💡 Hint #1 - Count scarce pips first

Begin by tracking rare values. There are only four halves with 2 pips available, and Light Blue Equal needs all of them. This immediately reserves every 2 for that region and constrains all early placements.

💡 Hint #2 - Resolve equals and big sums together

Lock Light Blue Equal as all 2s. Then satisfy the largest targets: Yellow 10 can only be 4+6, and Green >3 must absorb the 3+5. Solving these high-impact regions early forces multiple dominoes into place at once.

💡 Hint #3 - Chain exact sums by elimination

Use the remaining exact totals. Red 4 must be 0+4, Blue 4 must be 3+1, and Purple 6 must be 0+6. Fitting these together also forces the 5 into the blank, cleanly finishing the grid.

💡 Hint #1 - Count uniques and forced sums

Start by spotting one-of-a-kind pieces and strict totals. The only double is 0-0, which immediately targets Purple Equal, and the Blue 3 region can only be formed by 3-0 or 2-1, narrowing early options.

💡 Hint #2 - Lock equals first

Resolve all equal regions before anything else. Purple Equal must be 0s, Light Blue Equal must be 2s, and Yellow 5 can only be 1+4, which together force the placement of 0-0, 4-2, 2-1, and 4-0.

💡 Hint #3 - Satisfy the single exact-sum region

Use the Blue 3 target while options are still limited. With 2-1 already used, only 3-0 can make 3, forcing that domino into the Blue 3 region.

💡 Hint #4 - Spend leftover extremes

Use regions with hard limits next. Purple 0 demands a 0 half, Yellow Equal can only be 5s, and Purple >4 must absorb a high pip, which together force 0-5 and 5-6 into place.

💡 Hint #5 - Resolve equals by elimination

With most mids used, Blue Equal can only be 4s. That locks in 6-4 for Red >4 and forces 4-1 so the 1 can satisfy Red >0.

💡 Hint #6 - Finish with last two dominoes

Use the remaining regions to place the final pieces. Light Blue 4 must be 3+1, Green >4 must take the 5, and Green <2 must take the 0, cleanly finishing the grid.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 21, 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 21, 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 21, 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: [5-4], [4-4], [3-2], [2-1], [0-0]. Only 2 dominoes with 4 pips (5-4, 4-4) for Purple 4 region and Light Blue 4 region.

2

Step 2: Purple 4 + Light Blue 4 + Red >7 + Yellow Equal + Green <2 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Red >7 region must be 5+3. The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 2. The answer is 4-4 (one 4s into Purple 4 region, one 4s right into blank), placed horizontally; 4-5 (4 into Light Blue 4 region), placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-1 (1 into Green <2 region), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Blue 0 --(Arrows ⑤)

The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-0], [5-0], [4-3], [4-2], [3-2], [2-2], [1-0]. Only 4 domino halves that contain 2 pips for Light Blue Equal region.

2

Step 2: Light Blue Equal + Yellow 10 + Green >3 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 2. The domino halves in Yellow 10 region must be 4+6. The domino halves in Green >3 region must be 3+5. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Red 4 + Blue 4 + Purple 6 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-0, 5-0, 4-3, 1-0). [4-3] must placed in the boundary between Red 4 region and Blue 4 region, 5 pips must placed in Blank. e.g: The domino halves in Red 4 region must be 0+4. The domino halves in Blue 4 region must be 3+1. The domino halves in Purple 6 region must be 0+6. The The answer is 5-0 (5 into blank, 0 into Red 4 region), placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally; 1-0 (0 into Purple 6 region), placed vertically; 6-0 (0 left into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [5-3], [5-0], [4-2], [4-1], [4-0], [3-0], [2-1], [1-0], [0-0]. Only one domino with the same number (0-0) for Purple Equal region. Need one domino sum to be 3 (3-0 or 2-1) for Blue 3 region.

2

Step 2: Purple Equal + Red 4 + Light Blue Equal + Yellow 5 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. [4-2] must placed in the boundary between Red 4 region and Light Blue Equal region. The domino halves in Purple Equal must be 0. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal must be 2. The domino halves in Yellow 5 must be 1+4. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 4-2 (4 into Red 4 region), placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically; 4-0, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Blue 3 --(Arrows ⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-3, 5-0, 4-1, 3-0, 1-0). The answer is 3-0 (whole domino), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Purple 0 + Yellow Equal + Purple >4 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-3, 5-0, 4-1, 1-0). The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 5. The answer is 0-5 (0 into Purple 0 region), placed vertically; 5-6 (6 into Purple >4 region), placed vertically.

5

Step 5: Red >4 + Blue Equal + Red >0 --(Arrows ⑧⑨)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-4, 5-3, 4-1, 1-0). The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 4. The answer is 6-4 (6 into Red >4 region), placed horizontally; 4-1 (1 into Red >0 region), placed vertically.

6

Step 6: Green >4 + Light Blue 4 + Green <2 --(Arrows ⑩⑪)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-3, 1-0). The domino halves in Light Blue 4 region must be 3+1. The answer is 5-3 (5 into Green >4 region), placed vertically; 1-0 (0 into Green <2 region), placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips Puzzle Solution – January 21, 2026 (Easy 526 · Medium 550 · Hard 572) | Step-by-Step Domino Logic Walkthrough

Follow along, pause when needed, and sharpen your domino strategy for future puzzles.

💡 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.

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