NYT Pips Hint, Answer & Solution for October 18, 2025

Oct 18, 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

The October 18, 2025 puzzle set is live — a structured trio ready to test your skills and sharpen your logic.

Under Ian Livengood’s editorial precision, this lineup showcases increasing difficulty and masterful design.

Easy Puzzle #53 by Heidi Erwin — 5 dominoes, a clean and elegant starter grid.

Medium Puzzle #96 by Rodolfo Kurchan — 12 dominoes, layered logic with multiple regional sums.

Hard Puzzle #200 by Heidi Erwin — 12 dominoes, intricate constraints and deep reasoning.

Each grid rewards focus, data tracking, and persistence.

Measure your solve times, analyze each puzzle ID, and enjoy the satisfaction of finding the perfect solution to each unique challenge.

💡 Progressive Hints

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

💡 Hint #1 - Number (9)
Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.
💡 Hint #1 - Number (12)
The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.
💡 Hint #2 - Red Equal
The domino halves in this space must be 3.
💡 Hint #3 - Number (2)
The domino halves in this space must be 1.
💡 Hint #1 - Number (29)
The domino halves in the Number (29) area must be 6+6+6+6+5. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
💡 Hint #2 - Red Equal
The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
💡 Hint #3 - Number (8)
The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.
💡 Hint #4 - Not Equal
The domino halves in this space must be different and two whole dominoes must put in this place.

🎨 Pips Solver

Oct 18, 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 October 18, 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 October 18, 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
Based on the image, observe the shapes and domino pip counts.
2
Step 2: Number (9)
Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Red Equal
The domino halves in this space must be 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 5-3, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed vertically.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level

1
Step 1
Based on the image, observe the shapes and domino pip counts.
2
Step 2: Number (12)
Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically (relative position reasoning can be obtained).
3
Step 3: Red Equal
The domino halves in this space must be 3 (confirmed by neighboring Blue Number (10) area). The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-6 (confirmed by neighboring area), placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.
4
Step 4: Number (0)
The domino halves in this space must be 0 (only 3 domino halves that contain 0 pips). The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-6 (confirmed by neighboring area), placed vertically.
5
Step 5: Number (2)
The domino halves in this space must be 1 (only 2 domino halves left that contain 1 pips). The answer is 4-1 (confirmed by neighboring area), placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.
6
Step 6: Light Blue Number (10)
Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally (relative position reasoning can be obtained).
7
Step 7
Based on the last image, finished.

🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level

1
Step 1
Based on the image, observe the shapes and domino pip counts. The domino halves in the Number (29) area must be 6+6+6+6+5.
2
Step 2: Number (29)
Everything in this space must add up to 29. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.
3
Step 3: Red Equal
Only one domino left that with the same number 4-4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
4
Step 4: Number (8)
Everything in this space must add up to 8, there is exactly one domino left whose two sides sum to 8. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.
5
Step 5: Not Equal
The domino halves in this space must be different and two whole dominoes must put in this place.Plan A: the answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally. Plan B: the answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally.
6
Step 6: Number (0)
Confirmed by step 5. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
7
Step 7: Number (29)
Confirmed by neighboring area and everything in this space must add up to 29. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically; 6-1, placed vertically.
8
Step 8: Number (3)
Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.
9
Step 9
Based on the last image, finished. There is no single correct answer to this puzzle.

💡 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

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