NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 24, 2026

Jan 24, 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

Saturday, January 24, 2026 arrives with a fresh daily domino puzzle, and it’s the kind of weekend challenge that’s perfect for slowing down and thinking things through together.

Today’s set features three thoughtfully designed grids — easy puzzle ID 521, medium puzzle ID 545, and hard puzzle ID 567.

Each level brings its own logic twist, from tight equals regions to clever sum targets that reward careful counting and smart placement.

Edited by Ian Livengood, with puzzles crafted by Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan, this Saturday edition feels especially polished and satisfying.

It’s a great day to swap a few Pips Hint ideas, test a new solving approach, and see how others cracked the same grid in a totally different way.

If you’re looking for a calm but brain-stretching way to spend your weekend, this puzzle delivers.

Jump into the grid, follow your pips hint today, share your progress, and post your final solution as we solve this Saturday challenge side by side.

Written by Joy

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 - Nice and easy

Enjoy it

💡 Hint #1 - Eliminate impossible values first

Start by spotting missing pips. With no domino containing a 2, any region that might normally use a 2 is immediately restricted, shrinking the candidate set and simplifying all upcoming sum and equal constraints.

💡 Hint #2 - Reserve the only viable double

When an equals region appears and only one safe double can fit, lock it in early. Here, the unique availability of a matching-number domino forces that double into the equal region and cascades new constraints outward.

💡 Hint #3 - Chain fixed totals across neighbors

Once one region is anchored, use its leftover pips to resolve adjacent sums. Overlapping requirements across multiple 6-sum regions quickly determine which high and low values must pair together, also pinning down the remaining equals region.

💡 Hint #4 - Use leftover extremes to finish inequalities

At the end, inequality regions usually accept only the smallest or largest remaining pips. When just one low-value domino is left that satisfies a less-than constraint, it becomes a clean, forced placement.

💡 Hint #1 - Lock down scarce high-value pips

Begin by counting rare numbers. With very few 6s available and multiple regions demanding large totals, you can allocate the high pips to the biggest target regions first. This global pip budgeting sharply narrows where the 6s and 5s must go.

💡 Hint #2 - Exploit the only missing number

Notice there is exactly one 4 in the entire set. Any region that cannot accept a 4 forces that pip into a blank or neutral cell, which in turn fixes the value of the neighboring equal region. Singletons like this are powerful anchors.

💡 Hint #3 - Complete oversized regions early

When a region requires an unusually large sum, treat it as a priority. Once part of its total is fixed, the remaining pips are often uniquely determined, which can also push unwanted values (like 0s) into small or zero-constrained regions.

💡 Hint #4 - Let leftover counts drive placements

After the largest regions are settled, re-count what values remain. Regions with tight targets (like equals, small sums, or exact totals) will often become forced simply because only one combination of leftover pips can satisfy them.

💡 Hint #5 - Hunt for single-combination sums

Look for regions whose target total can only be formed by one remaining pair or triple. These exact-sum bottlenecks collapse uncertainty quickly and free up space for the rest of the grid.

💡 Hint #6 - Finish by harmonizing equals and totals

In the endgame, focus on regions that demand uniform values or repeated numbers. When only a few dominoes remain, equals regions and fixed totals will align naturally, letting the last pieces fall into place without guesswork.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 24, 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 24, 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 24, 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: [6-6], [4-3], [3-3], [3-2], [3-1].

2

Step 2: Red <2 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in this region must be 1. The answer is 1-3 (3 into Green Equal region), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Blue <3 + Yellow 7 + Purple >2 --(Arrows ②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 4-3, 3-3, 3-2). The domino halves in Blue <3 region must be 2, only one domino with 2 pips (3-2). The domino halves in Yellow 7 region must be 3+4. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 4-3 (3 into Purple >2 region), placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Green Equal + Light Blue Equal --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 3-3). The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3 (one 3s already come from Arrows ①). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 6. The answer is 3-3 (one 3s into Green Equal region), placed vertically; 6-6 (whole domino), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-3], [6-1], [5-4], [4-4], [4-0], [3-0], [0-0]. No domino with 2 pips.

2

Step 2: Purple Equal --(Arrows ①②)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in this region, therefore, the domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 4-5 (5 into Red 6 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Red 6 + Yellow 6 + Green 6 + Light Blue Equal --(Arrows ③④⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Red 6 region must be 5+1 (5s alread come from Arrows ②). The domino halves in Yellow 6 region must be 6+0. The domino halves in Green 6 region must be 0+6. The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 3. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 0-0, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally; 3-0 (0 left into blank), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Blue <4 --(Arrows ⑦)

The answer is 0-4 (0 into Blue <4 region), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-1], [6-0], [5-3], [5-2], [5-1], [5-0], [4-3], [3-3], [3-1], [3-0], [2-2], [2-0], [1-1], [1-0], [0-0]. All the dominoes' relative positions are fixed. Only 3 domino halves that contain 6 pips (6-5, 6-1, 6-0), at least one is required for Blue >10 region, at least two is required for Red >21 region. Therefore, the domino halves in Red >21 region must be 5+5+6+6, the domino halves in Blue >10 region must be 5+6, the domino halves in Yellow 10 region must be 5+5. Only 5 domino halves that contain 5 pips.

2

Step 2: Green Equal --(Arrows ①②③)

Only one domino with 4 pips (4-3), 4 pips must placed in blank. Confirmed by all regions and step 1 and relative position, the domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3. The answer is 4-3 (4 into blank), placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-5 (5 into Red >21 region), placed vertically

3

Step 3: Red >21 + Purple 0 --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Red >21 region must be 5+5+6+6 (one 5s already come from Arrows ③). The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-0 (0 into Purple 0 region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Green 0 + Blue >10 + Yellow 2 + Light Blue 5 + Blue Equal + Purple 1 --(Arrows ⑥⑦⑧⑨⑩⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Blue >10 region must be 5+6. The domino halves in Yellow 2 region must be 1+1. The domino halves in Light Blue 5 region must be 3+2. The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 0. The domino halves in Purple 1 region must be 1+0. The answer is 0-5 (0 into Green 0 region), placed horizontally; 6-1 (1 into Yellow 2 region), placed horizontally; 1-3 (1 into Yellow 2 region), placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed vertically; 0-1 (1 into Purple 1 region), placed vertically; 0-3 (0 into Purple 1 region, 3 right into blank), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Red 2 --(Arrows ⑬)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-2, 5-1, 2-2, 1-1). Need one domino sum to be 2 placed in this region. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

6

Step 6: Light Blue 6 + Yellow 10 --(Arrows ⑭⑮⑯)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-2, 5-1, 2-2). The domino halves in Light Blue 6 region must be 2+2+2. The domino halves in Yellow 10 region must be 5+5. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed vertically; 5-1 (1 down into blank), placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips Puzzle Solutions for Saturday, January 24, 2026 | Easy 521, Medium 545, Hard 567

This Saturday edition is a great place to sharpen your skills and enjoy a polished daily puzzle experience.

💡 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.

📖 More to Read

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for January 27, 2026

View Answer →

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for January 26, 2026

View Answer →

NYT Pips Hints & Answers for January 25, 2026

View Answer →

💬 Community Discussion

Leave your comment