🚨 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 easy grid opens with three equals regions, and that's your whole toolkit: the teal sum-3 square is a single cell, so it announces its own pip, and the purple block wrapped around it has to agree with whatever lands there. From that one commitment the top-left corner unspools — you'll place the rest of the board by asking which tile can reach a cell without dragging the wrong number into a neighbouring block. Ian Livengood keeps the tray to five tiles, so everything settles in a handful of moves and never makes you guess.
Medium keeps the single squares but trades comfort for thresholds. An equals trio sits on the right, two sum pairs bookend the middle, and the pink greater-than pair up top is the gate you'll knock on first: no tile lying across it gets anywhere near the target, so the pips have to be donated by tiles reaching in from the neighbouring regions. Ian Livengood then lets you work down the board, with the bottom row's sums and the equals trio agreeing on the middle before the last tiles slide home — this is the NYT Pips grid where you feel the squeeze.
Rodolfo Kurchan's hard board is a different animal: fourteen regions, seven of them single cells, and one unequal column that refuses repeats. The greater-7 pair at the top is the door in — its cells touch nothing but each other, so a single tile must satisfy it alone, and the tray offers exactly one candidate. From there it's a chain of small commitments down the left flank, along the right-edge sum column, and through the centre before the bottom row's equals run closes everything out.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Hint 1: Count the equals blocks
Three of this board's five regions are equals blocks, and they're where to look first. When several cells are forced to match, one pip decides an entire region — and this tray is small enough that the matching numbers announce themselves.
💡 Hint 2: Anchor on the single cell
Fix on the teal sum-3 cell on the left edge. A lone cell has to read exactly 3, so whatever tile covers it must carry a 3 — and both of that cell's neighbours belong to the purple equals block, meaning the tile's other pip lands in purple. Two tiles in the tray carry a 3; one of them would dump a 6 into the purple block, which would then demand three 6s that the tray cannot supply. Rule that one out.
💡 Hint 3: The complete easy layout
Full layout. The 1/3 tile stands vertically at the far left: 1 in the top-left corner cell of the purple equals block, 3 in the teal sum-3 cell directly below it — so purple reads 1,1,1 once the 1/1 double stands vertically in the block's remaining two cells (top-centre and the cell beneath it). On the right, the 2/2 double stands vertically in the pink equals block, 2 in its top-right cell and 2 below, while the 6/2 tile stands vertically just left of it, 2 rising into pink's top-left cell and 6 dropping into the upper cell of the orange equals pair. Finish with the 6/3 tile lying flat across the bottom: 3 in the uncoloured square and 6 in the lower cell of the orange pair.
💡 Hint 1: Hunt the thresholds
Start with the type of clue this grid leans on hardest: the threshold regions. There's a less-than block and a greater-than pair on the board, and those two constraints wipe out more tray options in one glance than any sum does.
💡 Hint 2: The ten-point gate
The pink greater-10 pair is the tightest clue here. Its two cells have to beat 10 between them, and nothing in the tray lying flat across them comes close — so the pips must be donated by tiles reaching in from the neighbouring regions on either side. Look at which tiles in the tray still carry the biggest pips, and follow where their other halves are forced to go.
💡 Hint 3: The complete medium layout
Full layout. The 5/5 double stands vertically in the teal equals block on the right — 5 in its top-right cell, 5 in the cell below — so the block reads 5,5,5, with the third 5 supplied by the 5/3 tile sitting below, its 5 in the block's bottom-left cell and its 3 dropping into the blue sum-6 pair. In pink, the 6/0 tile lies flat with 6 in the right cell of the greater-10 pair and 0 in the purple block's bottom-right cell, while the 2/6 tile stands vertically with 6 climbing into pink's left cell and 2 landing in the left cell of the orange sum-2 pair. The 0/3 tile stands vertically in orange's right cell with its 0, sending 3 down into the blue sum-6 pair's left cell. Finish the top: the 0/0 double lies flat across the purple block's top-left and top-centre cells, and the 3/1 tile lies flat to its right, 1 in the purple block's top-right cell and 3 in the free square at the top-right corner.
💡 Hint 1: Start at the threshold
Begin with the type of clue that gives the least away: the greater-than region. It's the strictest gate on this grid, and once you inspect the tray it resolves itself almost immediately.
💡 Hint 2: A sealed pocket
That greater-7 vertical pair at the top is sealed: its upper cell touches nothing but the cell below it, so one single tile has to cover both cells and beat 7 with its own two pips. Run your eye over the tray — exactly one tile passes that test.
💡 Hint 3: The right-hand column
Now the right edge. The pink sum-5 column is a closed line of three cells, and its top cell is joined to the blue sum-4 single above it, so one tile carries that 4 and hands a 2 down into the column. The column's other two cells are filled by a second tile standing vertically that reads 0 above 3, finishing the trio at 2+0+3.
💡 Hint 4: The middle pair
The centre is next. The teal sum-6 pair on the left takes the 3/3 double lying flat across it, and the purple sum-1 cell directly above the pair's right-hand cell takes the 1 from the 3/1 tile, whose 3 rises into the teal sum-3 single above it. That single cell can only ever read 1, so the tile joining it to the teal single is committed.
💡 Hint 5: The complete hard layout
Full grid. The 6/6 double stands vertically in the orange greater-7 pair, 6 in each cell. The 4/3 tile lies flat at the very top-left, 3 in the purple sum-3 single and 4 in the pink sum-4 single beside it, while the 3/1 tile stands vertically with 3 up in the teal sum-3 single and 1 down in the purple sum-1 cell. On the right, the 4/2 tile stands vertically, 4 up in the blue sum-4 single and 2 down in the top cell of the pink sum-5 column, and the 0/3 tile stands vertically beneath it, 0 in the column's middle cell and 3 in its bottom cell. Down the left side the 0/4 tile stands vertically in the green sum-4 pair, 4 up and 0 down, and the 3/3 double lies flat across the teal sum-6 pair. In the bottom-left corner the 0/2 tile stands vertically in the blue less-3 pair, 2 up and 0 down, with the 2/3 tile standing vertically to its right, 3 up in the green sum-3 single and 2 down in the purple less-3 single. Finish the bottom row: the 6/1 tile stands vertically in the orange unequal column, 6 in the top cell and 1 in the middle; the 5/2 tile lies flat with 5 in the column's bottom cell and 2 in the left cell of the pink equals run; and the 2/2 double lies flat to its right, filling the run's middle and right cells with 2.
🎨 Pips Solver
Oct 9, 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
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
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: The teal single points the way
The teal sum-3 region is one cell, so it reads 3. Whatever tile covers it must carry a 3, and both of that cell's neighbours sit in the purple equals block — so the tile's other pip lands in purple no matter what. The 6/3 is disqualified right there: it would push a 6 into purple, and the block would then need three 6s, while the tray holds only two 6s in total. That leaves the 1/3 standing vertically, 1 up in the purple block's top-left corner cell and 3 down in the teal cell.
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Step 2: Purple locks in at 1
Purple's three cells all have to match, and one of them already reads 1, so the whole block is 1,1,1. The block's remaining two cells are filled by the 1/1 double standing vertically, 1 in the top-centre cell and 1 in the cell directly below it.
3
Step 3: Pink mirrors purple
The pink equals block needs three identical pips. The 2/2 double stands vertically through its two right-hand cells, giving 2 and 2, and the block's top-left cell takes the 2 from the 6/2 tile standing vertically just to its left — whose 6 then drops into the upper cell of the orange equals pair.
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Step 4: Orange and the free square
The orange equals pair needs both cells matching, and the only tile left in the tray is the 6/3. It lies flat across the bottom: 6 in the lower cell of the orange pair, matching the 6 sitting in the cell above it, and 3 in the uncoloured free square to the left. Every region is now satisfied.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: The teal equals trio
Three cells on the right have to match. The 5/5 double can supply two of them at once by standing vertically through the block's right-hand cells, so the whole block commits to 5 — and the tray's third 5 arrives from the 5/3 tile, whose 3 then falls into the blue sum-6 pair below.
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Step 2: Pink has to beat ten
Neither cell of the pink greater-10 pair can be filled by a tile lying flat across the pair: no tile in the tray adds past the target when laid there. So the pips are donated, and the tray's two 6s do the donating — one from the 6/0 tile reaching in from the right, one from the 2/6 tile coming up out of the orange sum-2 pair.
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Step 3: The sum-2 pair
Orange's two cells add to 2, so they must be a 0 and a 2 — the tray has no 1/1 to make a pair of ones. The 2 comes from the 2/6 tile, which already has its 6 up in pink, and the 0 comes from the 0/3 tile, whose 3 then continues down into the blue pair.
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Step 4: The bottom row's sum
Blue's pair reads 3 and 3: the 3 from the 0/3 tile on the left and the 3 from the 5/3 tile on the right. With that the bottom row is finished, and the equals trio above it is closed off with two 5s and the 5 that came down from the 5/3.
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Step 5: The top strip
The purple less-3 block takes the 0/0 double lying flat across its top-left and top-centre cells. The 3/1 tile lies flat to its right, 3 in the free square on the top right and 1 in the block's top-right cell, and the 6/0 tile's 0 settles into the block's bottom-right cell. Every cell in the block now sits comfortably below 3.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: A door only one tile fits
The orange greater-7 pair at the top is a closed pocket: its upper cell touches nothing but the cell below it, so a single vertical tile covers both and must beat 7 on its own. Running the tray past that test leaves one candidate — the 6/6 double, standing vertically with 6 in each cell.
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Step 2: The top-left strip
Three single-cell sums sit in a row along the top, and the purple sum-3 and pink sum-4 are neighbours, so one tile serves both: the 4/3 lies flat, 3 on the left in the purple single and 4 on the right in the pink single. The teal sum-3 single is covered by the 3/1 standing vertically, with its 3 staying in the teal cell and its 1 falling into the purple sum-1 cell directly beneath — the only reading that lone cell can take.
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Step 3: The right-hand column
The pink sum-5 column along the right edge is a sealed line of three, and its top cell only touches the blue sum-4 single above it. The 4/2 tile stands vertically there: 4 up in the blue single, 2 down in the column's top cell. The remaining two cells take the 0/3 tile standing vertically, 0 above 3, which finishes the column at 2 + 0 + 3.
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Step 4: The left flank
The green sum-4 vertical pair takes the 0/4 tile, 4 up and 0 down, so those two cells read 4 and 0. Beside it, the teal sum-6 pair is filled by the 3/3 double lying flat across it — 3 and 3, exactly the target.
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Step 5: The bottom-left corner
The blue less-3 pair is filled by the 0/2 tile standing vertically, 2 up and 0 down — both halves safely under 3. The 2/3 tile stands vertically just to its right, 3 rising into the green sum-3 single and 2 falling into the purple less-3 single, which also keeps that lone cell under 3.
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Step 6: Finishing the bottom row
The orange unequal column takes the 6/1 tile standing vertically, 6 in its top cell and 1 in the middle — two different pips, as the region demands. The 5/2 tile then lies flat across the bottom, 5 going into the column's lower cell to complete 6, 1, 5 with no repeats, and 2 going into the left cell of the pink equals run. The 2/2 double lies flat to its right, filling the run's middle and right cells with 2, and the board is done.
💡 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.
💬 Community Discussion
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