NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 27, 2026

Jan 27, 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 Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the NYT Pips puzzle arrives with a fresh trio of brain-teasing grids — and our community is already buzzing with early theories, clever deductions, and shared excitement.

Kick things off with the easy puzzle, ID 527, crafted by Ian Livengood.

It’s a friendly warm-up that eases you into the logic, perfect for spotting your first patterns, testing a few placements, and picking up your opening Pips Hint of the day.

This is where many solvers build confidence and start sharing their earliest pips hint today with friends.

Then step into the medium challenge, ID 552 by Rodolfo Kurchan, where the logic tightens and every domino placement starts to matter.

Here, you’ll feel the shift from experimentation to structured reasoning — a great stage to refine your hints strategy and compare solution paths with other players.

Finish with the hard puzzle, ID 575, also by Rodolfo Kurchan.

This one is a deep and satisfying test, packed with clever regions, layered constraints, and those unforgettable “aha” solution moments that make NYT Pips so addictive.

Whether you’re solving solo or swapping ideas with others, jump into today’s puzzle, trade your Pips Hint insights, and enjoy the shared journey on January 27, 2026.

This Tuesday challenge feels even better when solved together — one domino, one hint, and one breakthrough at a time.

Written by Nikii

Puzzle Analyst – Sophia

💡 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

5 pips must placed in blank.

💡 Hint #1 - Track the Only High Pips

Begin by counting rare high values like 6s. When a large-sum region exists and only two dominoes contain that pip, those pieces become effectively reserved for that region.

💡 Hint #2 - Force Exact Sums with Repeats

When a region total can only be reached by repeating the same number (like three 4s to make 12), lock those placements first. This immediately determines how neighboring regions must use the leftover pips.

💡 Hint #3 - Satisfy an Equal Region Early

If only one remaining double fits an Equal region, place it right away. This removes uncertainty and frees the other mixed dominoes for flexible sum or inequality regions.

💡 Hint #4 - Resolve Remaining Regions as a Set

With just a few dominoes left, solve the remaining regions together. Match the last high pips to the highest target, the doubles to inequality limits, and the final value to the Equal region.

💡 Hint #1 - Count the Rare Pips First

Start by inventorying scarce values like 6s and 5s. When multiple high-threshold regions all need large totals, tracking how many high-pip halves exist immediately narrows which regions they can satisfy.

💡 Hint #2 - Lock a High-Sum Region Early

For regions with a strict lower bound (like >9), test which single domino can cross that threshold on its own. Fixing one high-impact placement early simplifies the rest of the grid.

💡 Hint #3 - Build Around a Mandatory Total

When a region must exceed a large number (like >15) and only a few high-pip dominoes remain, force the sum by combining the only viable values. Use spillover pips to satisfy nearby minor constraints.

💡 Hint #4 - Resolve Competing High Regions Together

If two or more regions all need large totals and share the same limited pips, solve them as a system. Allocate the remaining high numbers across those regions in the only way that meets every threshold.

💡 Hint #5 - Use Triple-Value Forcing

When a region must exceed a high target and only one value appears often enough (like three 3s), that value becomes forced. Place those dominoes first to collapse remaining ambiguity.

💡 Hint #6 - Finish with Uniform Low Values

Late-game regions with modest targets often force uniform numbers (like all 2s). Once higher pips are exhausted, fill the remaining regions using consistent low-value combinations.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 27, 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 27, 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 27, 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], [4-2], [3-2], [2-0].

2

Step 2: Purple >5 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only one domino with 5 pips (6-5), 5 pips must placed in blank. The answer is 6-5 (6 into Purple >5 egion), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Yellow >3 + Light Blue Equal + Red Equal --(Arrows ②③④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-3, 4-2, 3-2, 2-0). The domino halves in Light Blue Equal region must be 2. The domino halves in Red Equal region must be 3. The answer is 4-2 (4 into Yellow >3 region), placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically; 2-0 (0 left into blank), placed horizontally; 3-6 (6 right into blank), placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [5-4], [4-4], [4-2], [4-1], [1-1], [0-0]. Only 2 dominoes with 6 pips (6-5, 6-4) for Green 12 region.

2

Step 2: Purple 12 + Red 5 + Light Blue <4--(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Purple 12 region must be 4+4+4. The domino halves in Red 5 region must be 1+4+0+0. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically; 4-2 (4 into Red 5 region, 2 into Light Blue <4 region), placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Yellow Equal --(Arrows ⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-4, 1-1). Need one domino with the same number placed in this region. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Green 12 + Blue <10 + Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑥⑦⑧)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (6-5, 6-4, 5-4). The domino halves in Green 12 region must be 6+6. The domino halves in Blue <10 region must be 4+4. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 5. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-4], [6-0], [5-1], [5-0], [4-2], [4-1], [3-3], [3-1], [2-2], [2-1], [2-0]. Only 3 domino halves that contain 6 pips, need one for Purple 9 region, need one for Blue >15 region, need one for Red >9 region or Yellow >8 region. Only 3 domino halves that contain 5 pips, need two for Blue >15 region, need one for Red >9 region or Yellow >8 region.

2

Step 2: Purple >9 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Need one domino sum to be more than 9 placed in this region. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Blue >15 + Light Blue >0 --(Arrows ②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and remaining dominoes. only 2 dominoes left that contain 6 pips (6-5, 6-0), the domino halves in Blue >15 region must be 6+5+5. The answer is 6-5 (5 into Yellow >8 region), placed vertically; 5-1 (1 into Light Blue >0 region), placed horizontally; 5-0 (0 left into blank), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Red >9 + Yellow >8 + Light Blue >1 + Blue >0 --(Arrows ⑤⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Red >9 region must be 6+4. The domino halves in Yellow >8 region must be 5+4 (5s already come from Arrows ②). Only 2 dominoes left that contain 4 pips (4-2, 4-1). The answer is 0-6 (0 into blank), placed horizontally; 4-2 (4 into Red >9 region, 2 into Light Blue >1 region), placed horizontally; 4-1 (4 into Yellow >8 region, 1 into Blue >0 region), placed horizontally.

5

Step 5: Top Green >0 + Purple >8 --(Arrows ⑧⑨)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-3, 3-1, 2-2, 2-1, 2-0). The domino halves in Purple >8 region must be 3+3+3. The answer is 1-3 (1 into Top Green >0 region), placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally.

6

Step 6: Purple >5 + Red >1 + Bottom Green >0 --(Arrows ⑩⑪⑫)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (2-2, 2-1, 2-0). The domino halves in Purple >5 region must be 2+2+2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-0 (0 right into blank), placed horizontally; 2-1 (2 into Red >1 region, 1 into Bottom Green >0 region), placed vertically.

🎥 NYT Pips January 27, 2026 – Full Solve Walkthrough & Pips Hint Today (IDs 527, 552, 575)

Drop your own hints, alternate solution paths, or questions in the comments — the NYT Pips community solves better together.

💡 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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