NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 25, 2026

Jan 25, 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

Sunday, January 25, 2026 brings a fresh NYT Pips puzzle set to our community — a perfect way to slow down, think deeply, and enjoy a cozy Sunday logic session. Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s collection delivers three beautifully balanced challenges that feel both relaxing and mentally rewarding.

Start easy with Puzzle ID 516, crafted by Ian Livengood. With just 6 clever dominoes and friendly regions, it’s an ideal warm-up grid. This one gently introduces the logic flow and sets up some satisfying early deductions — a great place to spot your first Pips Hint of the day.

Move into the medium grid, Puzzle ID 540, designed by Rodolfo Kurchan. Here the logic tightens, the constraints start to interact, and every placement begins to matter. If you enjoy testing patterns, watching regions lock into place, and trading smart pips hint today strategies, this grid hits the sweet spot.

Finish strong with the hard puzzle, ID 562, also by Rodolfo Kurchan. This dense 12-domino masterpiece is packed with equals regions and layered logic. It’s the kind of puzzle that rewards patience, sharp observation, and those unforgettable “aha” moments when everything finally clicks.

Whether you’re here to share hints, compare solution paths, or just enjoy a thoughtful Sunday challenge, today’s NYT Pips puzzle has something special to offer.

Your Sunday logic ritual is ready — jump into the grid, follow the clues, and let the dominoes fall.

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

[6-5] is the key domino.

💡 Hint #1 - Spot rare pips to identify priority dominoes

Begin by scanning the set for pip values that appear only once. Single-occurrence pips like 6 and 5 immediately become high-impact pieces, since any region needing those values must draw from those exact dominoes.

💡 Hint #2 - Let extreme regions force sum breakdowns

Use greater-than and exact-sum regions together to constrain combinations. When a region must exceed a value and only one high pip is available, that pip is effectively locked in. This then forces how neighboring equal or sum-to regions can be composed.

💡 Hint #3 - Finish with leftover pairing logic

After the main regions are satisfied, list the remaining dominoes and match them to the only regions they can still legally fit. Low-target or less-than regions often collapse into a single valid pairing once higher pips are already committed.

💡 Hint #1 - Count pips and narrow equal-region candidates

Start by tallying how many halves exist for each pip value. Compare those counts with how many cells the equals regions require. This quickly eliminates impossible values and narrows Purple Equal to just two realistic candidates based on scarcity and regional demand.

💡 Hint #2 - Use forced equals to anchor the grid

Look for equals regions that can only be satisfied by a single remaining pip value. When multiple equals regions are present, assign the most constrained one first. This creates fixed anchors and ripples constraints into neighboring regions, shrinking the option space dramatically.

💡 Hint #3 - Resolve remaining equals by elimination

With several equals regions still open, remove values already consumed elsewhere and match leftover pip counts to region sizes. The last viable values naturally fall into place, letting you lock multiple equals regions in a clean, cascading deduction.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 25, 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 25, 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 25, 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], [6-3], [6-2], [3-0], [2-2], [1-1].

2

Step 2: Light Blue 6 + Yellow 5 + Green 3 + Purple 6 --(Arrows ①②③)

Confirmed by all regions and step 1 and relative position. Only one domino with 5 pips (6-5), [6-5] must placed in the boundary between Light Blue 6 region and Yellow 5 region. The domino halves in Yellow 5 region must be 5+0. The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 3. The answer is 6-5 (6 into Light Blue 6 egion), placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally; 3-6 (6 into Purple 6 region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Red 6 + Purple 3 --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-2, 2-2, 1-1,). The domino halves in Purple 3 region must be 2+1. The answer is 6-2 (6 into Red 6 region), placed horizontally; 1-1 (one 1s left into blank), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Blue Equal --(Arrows ⑥)

The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-3], [5-1], [4-0], [3-3], [3-2], [3-0]. Only one domino withe 6 pips (6-3), only one domino with 5 pips (5-1).

2

Step 2: Red >4 + Purple 6 + Light Blue 6 + Yellow 6 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Red >4 region must be 5 or 6, only one domino with 1 pips (5-1). Therefore, the domino halves in Purple 6 region must be 3+3, the domino halves in Light Blue 6 must be 3+3, the domino halves in Yellow 6 must be 2+4. The answer is 6-3 (6 into Red >4 egion), placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically; 4-0 (0 into Green <3 region), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Blue 6 + Green <3 --(Arrows ⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (5-1, 3-0). The domino halves in Blue 6 region must be 5+1. The domino halves in Green <3 region must be 0+0 (one 0s already come from Arrows ④). The answer is 5-1 (whole domino), placed horizontally; 0-3 (3 left into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-6], [6-5], [5-5], [5-4], [5-3], [4-3], [3-3], [3-0], [2-2], [1-1], [1-0], [0-0]. Only 3 domino halves that contain 6 pips, 5 domino halves that contain 5 pips, 2 domino halves that contain 4 pips, 5 domini halves that contain 3 pips, 2 domino halves that contain 2 pips, 3 domino halves that contain 1 pips, 4 domino halves that contain 0 pips (3-0, 1-0, 0-0). The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 5 or 3.

2

Step 2: Blue Equal + Green Equal + Yellow Equal --(Arrows ①②③④⑤⑥)

Confirmed by all regions and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino with the same number placed in Blue Equal region. The domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 0. The domino halves in Green Equal region must be 1. The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 3. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4 (4 down into blank), placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Light Blue Equal + Purple Equal + Red Equal --(Arrows ⑦⑧⑨⑩⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-6, 6-5, 5-5, 5-4, 5-3, 2-2). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 2. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 5. The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 6. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 4-5 (4 into blank), placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally; 5-3 (3 into Blank), placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips Puzzle Solutions for Sunday, January 25, 2026 | IDs 516, 540 & 562 Explained

Watch along, sharpen your logic skills, and share your favorite pips hints 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.

🎓 Keep Learning & Improve

🧠 Strategy Guide

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