NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for November 16, 2025

Nov 16, 2025

🚨 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, November 16, 2025, brings a crisp, data-focused trio of Pips NYT puzzles—a perfect fit for solvers who track progress through structure, precision, and measurable logic.

Under the editorial guidance of Ian Livengood, today’s lineup features Easy #361, Medium #286, and Hard #295, created by Ian Livengood and Rodolfo Kurchan, two constructors known for clean, mathematical grid design.

Each puzzle showcases its own analytical fingerprint: tightly defined sum-target regions, disciplined equals zones, and domino combinations crafted to reward sharp pattern recognition.

You can dive into each grid like a mini dataset—track your solving pace, study how each region interacts, and measure how efficiently you extract each pips hint.

For solvers who enjoy puzzles as performance metrics—where every decision has weight, every structure teaches something, and every solution can be quantified—November 16 serves as the ideal test environment.

This is the day to refine your logic, compare outcomes, and push your skills through the full spectrum of Pips NYT puzzle difficulty.

Written by Hide

Puzzle Analyst – Mark (NYT Pips Hint team)

💡 Progressive Hints

Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!

💡 Hint #1 - Red Equal

The domino halves in this region must be 0.

💡 Hint #2 - Light Blue Equal

The domino halves in this region must be 1

💡 Hint #1 - Number (8)

Need one domino sum to 8 in this region.

💡 Hint #1 - Observe

Only 6 domino halves that contain 4 pips. Only 2 dominoes with the same number (1-1 and 4-4): one placed in the Yellow Equal region and one placed in the Light Blue Equal.

💡 Hint #2 - Up Number (8)

No any dominoes sum to 10 or 12. The domino halves in this region must be 4.

💡 Hint #3 - Yellow Equal

The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

🎨 Pips Solver

Nov 16, 2025

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 November 16, 2025 – 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 November 16, 2025 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: Check Your Dominoes

Today's dominoes: 5-2, 4-0, 3-1, 2-0, 1-1. Notice you have two 0-pips and three 1-pips—these pairs point to your equal regions. Pips hint: count matching numbers first.

2

Step 2: Pink Equal Region

This region needs matching halves. You have exactly two 0-pips: 2-0 and 4-0. Place both horizontally with blanks showing. Easy win! Pips puzzle tip: when equal regions match your available pips perfectly, place them confidently.

3

Step 3: Teal Equal Region

Now use your three 1-pip dominoes. Place 3-1 vertically and 1-1 horizontally, both showing 1s in this region. The 3 extends outward but that's fine.

4

Step 4: Orange Number 2 Region

Last domino: 5-2. Place it vertically with the 2-side in this region. Done! The final piece should always fit perfectly in easy puzzles.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1

Step 1: Take Stock of Your Arsenal

Today's domino collection: 6-4, 6-1, 6-0, 5-4, 4-4, 3-0, 2-0, 0-0. That's eight dominoes to wrangle into this cross-shaped grid. Before charging in, take a moment to notice what you've got—three dominoes with 6-pips (quite generous), a lovely double-4, and a quartet of dominoes sporting blanks. Pips hint for easy puzzles: a quick inventory saves you from placing the wrong domino too early and having to sheepishly backtrack.

2

Step 2: The Clustered Trio (Regions 3, 5, and 2)

Here's where things get interesting—three number regions (Purple 3, Green 5, and Blue 2) are practically sitting in each other's laps. They share borders, which means one domino can satisfy multiple regions simultaneously. The magic combination: place 3-0 horizontally (hitting the 3-region), 5-4 vertically (nailing the 5-region), and 2-0 vertically (completing the 2-region). Pips NYT puzzle wisdom: when sum regions cluster together, solve them as a unit rather than individually—it's like ordering a combo meal instead of à la carte.

3

Step 3: The Gloriously Simple Number 8

The LIght Blue Number 8 region is having a laugh, really. It needs exactly 8 pips, and lo and behold, we've got 4-4 just sitting there waiting for its moment. Place it horizontally and Bob's your uncle—8 pips sorted. Pips hint: doubles are brilliant for even-numbered sum regions because they do exactly what it says on the tin. No maths gymnastics required.

4

Step 4: Purple Number 7 Region (A Bit of Mental Arithmetic)

This region wants 7 total pips. Scanning our remaining dominoes—6-4, 6-1, 6-0—the solution practically writes itself: 6+1=7. Place 6-4 horizontally (the 6-side does the heavy lifting here) and 6-1 vertically (contributing its 1-side). The 4 from 6-4 wanders off into another region, but that's fine—we're not running a dictatorship here. Pips NYT puzzle tip: focus on what each region demands, not where the other domino half ends up. Trust the process.

5

Step 5: Yellow Number 6 Region

We're in the home stretch now. The Green 6-region needs 6 pips, and wouldn't you know it, 6-0 is still lounging in our unused pile. Place it vertically with the 6-side showing proudly in the region. The blank side? That's for the grand finale in Step 6. Pips hint: as you approach the end, placements should feel inevitable, like the last piece of a jigsaw sliding into place. If you're still scratching your head, something's gone wonky earlier.

6

Step 6: The Victory Lap

Last domino standing: 0-0, the humble double-blank. There's exactly one spot left on the board, so place it horizontally and take a bow. When the final domino fits without any faffing about, you know you've cracked it properly. Easy puzzles should end with a satisfying click, not a confused stare. Congratulations—you've conquered today's puzzle with style!

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1

Step 1: Count Your Resources First

Available dominoes: 6-4, 6-1, 6-0, 5-4, 5-3, 5-1, 5-0, 4-4, 4-1, 4-0, 3-2, 1-1. Critical observation: only 6 domino halves contain 4-pips—this scarcity will drive your entire solve. Also notice only 2 doubles (1-1 and 4-4), which must anchor the Yellow and Light Blue equal regions. Pips hint: always count scarce resources before placing anything in NYT-style domino puzzles.

2

Step 2: Upper Pink Number 8 Region

This region needs pips totaling 8. Since no dominoes sum to 10 or 12, test lower combinations. With limited 4-pips available (from Step 1), the optimal solution is 4+4=8. Place 6-4 horizontally and 5-4 horizontally, both showing their 4-sides in this region. Pips NYT puzzle tip: start with sum regions that use your scarcest resource—they have fewer valid combinations.

3

Step 3: Teal Number 10 Region

Building on Step 2, the 5-side of the 5-4 domino borders this region. To reach 10 total, we need 5 more pips. The answer is 5-1 placed vertically, contributing its 5-side here. The 1-side will extend toward the Yellow equal region. Pips hint: adjacent regions often share domino borders—use solved regions to unlock neighbors.

4

Step 4: Yellow Equal Region (The Bold Move)

From Step 1, we know 1-1 is one of only two doubles. Step 3 placed a 1 bordering this region, confirming this equal region wants 1-pips. Place 1-1 horizontally here. When logic points strongly but not certainly, take the first step boldly—don't be afraid to commit and verify later. This is how hard NYT domino puzzles test your deductive confidence.

5

Step 5: Right Pink Number 8 Region

Another 8 region, but we've exhausted our 4+4 option in Step 2. Test the next combination: 5+3=8. Checking remaining dominoes with these pips: 5-3 works horizontally, and 3-2 placed vertically contributes the 3-side. Pips NYT puzzle strategy: when your first approach is exhausted, systematically test the next-highest pip combination.

6

Step 6: Bottom Teal Equal Region

From Step 1's resource count, we have exactly three 0-pip dominoes: 6-0, 4-0, 5-0. This large equal region consumes all of them. Place 6-0 vertically, 4-0 horizontally, and 5-0 horizontally, all showing their blank sides. Pips hint: when you spot concentrated rare pips, immediately identify which equal region will use them all.

7

Step 7: Light Blue Equal Region

Step 1 told us the second double (4-4) must go here. With 4-1 also remaining, both contribute their 4-sides to this equal region. Place 4-4 vertically and 4-1 vertically. Pips NYT puzzle wisdom: doubles are perfect anchors for equal regions since both halves automatically match.

8

Step 8: Purple Number 12 Region

Only one domino remains: 6-1. This region needs pips totaling 12, and placing 6-1 vertically with the 6-side visible completes the puzzle perfectly. The final piece should always click into place—if it doesn't, backtrack to Step 4's bold move and reconsider.

🎥 🧩 Pips NYT Puzzle Walkthrough – November 16, 2025 | Easy #361 · Medium #286 · Hard #295

Time to solve, score, and share your best move—or tag the friend who needs a puzzle challenge today!

💡 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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