NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for January 30, 2026

Jan 30, 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!

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Want hints instead? Scroll down for progressive clues that won't spoil the fun.

🎲 Today's Puzzle Overview

Friday, January 30, 2026 closes out the week with a satisfying NYT Pips lineup that’s all about sharp logic and clean deduction. As a classic end-of-week puzzle set, today’s grids feel purpose-built for solvers who enjoy slowing down, spotting patterns, and refining their strategy before the weekend.

Edited by Ian Livengood, today’s NYT Pips puzzles emphasize structure and clarity. You’ll notice how each decision tightens the board, making every domino placement feel earned rather than guessed. This is the kind of puzzle day where strong fundamentals really pay off.

The easy puzzle (ID 507) offers a compact grid with just six dominoes, making it an excellent warm-up. It’s ideal for practicing fast eliminations, recognizing equals regions early, and building confidence with your first Pips Hint today.

The medium puzzle (ID 509) by Rodolfo Kurchan raises the stakes with unequal regions and narrow sum targets. Here, careful pip tracking and forward planning become essential, rewarding solvers who think two steps ahead.

The experience peaks with the hard puzzle (ID 533), a dense and thoughtful grid packed with equals chains, overlapping sum regions, and high-value domino interactions. This is where disciplined logic and precise counting turn into real “aha” moments.

Whether you’re reviewing your solve time, sharpening your approach, or searching for reliable NYT Pips hints and solution insights, this Friday set delivers depth without frustration. It’s a strong reminder that the best Pips puzzles don’t rush you—they invite you to think carefully and solve cleanly.

Written by July

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

[6-0] is the key domino.

💡 Hint #1 - Inventory rare pips in not-equal regions

Begin by listing which pip values appear only once across all dominoes. When a Not Equal region must contain many different numbers, unique pips like 4, 2, or paired 1s immediately become forced candidates.

💡 Hint #2 - Exploit fixed sums to lock a boundary

For a single-value sum region, test which pairings can achieve it with minimal overlap. When only one domino can satisfy both the sum and a neighboring equal region, its placement becomes fixed at the boundary.

💡 Hint #3 - Grow equals regions from confirmed pips

Once an equals region receives one confirmed pip, propagate that value across the entire region. This simultaneously fills requirements and clears incompatible dominoes from adjacent Not Equal areas.

💡 Hint #4 - Force doubles in tight sum regions

When a sum region has very few cells and limited remaining values, check if a double is the only way to reach the target. Doubles often resolve multiple regions at once when space is constrained.

💡 Hint #5 - Close the puzzle by exhausting diversity

At the end, revisit the Not Equal region and confirm which distinct values are still missing. Place remaining doubles to supply those values while harmlessly filling neighboring blanks.

💡 Hint #1 - Count critical pips early

Start by counting how many domino halves contain high-demand numbers. With limited 5s available and multiple Number 5 regions, eliminate options early and lock in that Yellow Equal cannot use a 5.

💡 Hint #2 - Anchor equals regions first

Once an equals region is forced to a single value, use it as an anchor. Chaining that value across neighboring equals and fixed-number regions quickly restricts orientations and removes ambiguity.

💡 Hint #3 - Use sum regions to force duplicates

When a large sum like 12 appears with few open cells, test whether it requires repeated values. Here, recognizing that only triple 4s can reach the total resolves both the sum and adjacent inequalities.

💡 Hint #4 - Resolve equals with leftovers

As options shrink, match remaining identical dominoes to unresolved equals regions. This backward logic forces exact values in Blue, Purple, and Red regions while satisfying smaller constraints like <2.

💡 Hint #5 - Finish by pairing the last equals

At the endgame, compare the final unmatched equals regions against the last dominoes. Assign the only values that fit both regions simultaneously to close the grid cleanly.

🎨 Pips Solver

Jan 30, 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 30, 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 30, 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], [5-2], [3-2], [3-1], [2-1], [1-1].

2

Step 2: Red <1 + Light Blue 7 + Blue Equal + Green >4 --(Arrows ①②③④)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. Only one domino with 6 pips and 0 pips (6-0), the domino halves in Light Blue 7 must be 6+1. The domino halves in Blue Equal must be 2. The answer is 0-6 (0 into Red <1 region), placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically; 2-5 (5 into Green >4 region), placed vertically; 2-3 (3 into Yellow Equal region), placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Yellow Equal + Purple Equal --(Arrows ⑤⑥)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-1,1-1). The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 3 (one 3s already come from Arrows ④). The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [5-4], [5-3], [5-2], [3-3], [3-0], [1-1], [0-0]. The domino halves in Yellow Not Equal must be 0+1+2+3+4+5. Only one domino half that contain 4 pips (5-4), only one domino half that contain 2 pips (5-2). Only one domino with 1 pips (1-1).

2

Step 2: Red 3 --(Arrows ①)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Red 3 region must be 0+3. Only 3 domino halves that contain 5 pips and 3 pips, therefore, [5-3] must placed in the boundary between Red 3 region and Purple Equal region. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

3

Step 3: Purple Equal + Yellow Not Equal --(Arrows ②③)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step2 and remaining dominoes. The domino halves in Purple Equal region must be 5 (one 5s already come from Arrows ①). The domino halves in Yellow Not Equal region must be 0+1+2+3+4+5. The answer is 5-2 (2 into Yellow Not Equal region), placed vertically; 4-5 (whole domino into Yellow Not Equal region), placed horizontally.

4

Step 4: Light Blue 6 --(Arrows ④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes (3-3, 3-0, 1-1, 0-0). The domino halves in this region must be 3+3. The answer is 3-3 (one 3s into Yellow Not Equal region), placed horizontally; 3-0 (0 up into blank), placed vertically.

5

Step 5: Yellow Not Equal --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

The answer is 0-0 (one 0s into Red 3 region, one 0s into Yellow Not Equal region), placed vertically; 1-1 (one 1s into Yellow Not Equal region, one 1s down into blank), placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1

Dominoes Include: [6-5], [6-3], [6-2], [6-0], [5-4], [5-3], [5-2], [5-1], [5-0], [4-4], [4-3], [3-3], [2-2], [0-0]. Only 6 domino halves that contain 5 pips, need two for Number 5 regions. Therefore, the domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 3.

2

Step 2: Yellow Equal + Red 4 + Red 5 +Top Light Blue Equal + Purple 5 --(Arrows ①②③④⑤)

Confirmed by neighboring region and step 1 and relative position. The domino halves in Yellow Equal region must be 3. Only 5 domino halves that contain 3 pips (6-3, 5-3, 4-3, 3-3). The domino halves in Top Light Blue Equal must be 6. The answer is 3-4 (4 into Red 4 region), placed vertically; 3-5 (5 into Red 5 region), placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.

3

Step 3: Blue >4 + Green 12 --(Arrows ⑥⑦)

Confirmed by neighboring region and remaining dominoes. The domino half in Blue >4 region must be 5 or 6, need one domino placed in Green 12 region. Therefore, the domino halves in Green 12 region must be 4+4+4. The answer is 5-4 (5 into Blue >4 region), placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.

4

Step 4: Yellow 2 + Blue Equal + Bottom Purple Equal + Red Equal + Green <2 --(Arrows ⑧⑨⑩⑪)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (6-2, 6-0, 5-2, 5-1, 5-0, 2-2, 0-0). Only 2 dominoes left that with the same number (2-2, 0-0), need one for Left Top Purple Equal region, need one for Right Top Light Blue Equal region. Therefore, the domino halves in Blue Equal region must be 6, the domino halves in Bottom Purple Equal region must be 0, the domino halves in Red Equal region must be 5. The answer is 2-6 (2 into Yellow 2 region), placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-1 (1 into Green <2 region), placed vertically.

5

Step 5: Left Top Purple Equal + Right Top Light Blue Equal --(Arrows ⑫⑬⑭)

Confirmed by all left regions and remaining dominoes (5-2, 2-2, 0-0). The domino halves in Left Top Purple Equal region must be 2, the domino halves in Right Top Light Blue Equal region must be 0. The answer is 5-2 (5 into blank), placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

🎥 NYT Pips January 30, 2026 – Friday Logic Breakdown | IDs 507, 509, 533 | Smart Pips Hints Today

This video is designed to help you think more clearly and solve more confidently.

💡 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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