🚨 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
Easy (Ian Livengood) is a five-tile confidence-builder on a compact board: a pink sum-2 pocket in the bottom-left corner, a purple equals block up top, a teal sum-10 pair in the middle, one orange cell that must beat 4, and an uncoloured free square at the bottom. Two regions pin themselves almost immediately — the tight sum can be built only one way, and the equals block has exactly one value the tray can supply three times — so there is no fork and no guesswork. Expect five minutes, tops.
Medium (again Livengood) spreads a longer board with more moving parts: two purple equals runs (one across the top, one along the bottom), a pink equals block in the middle-left, a blue sum-1 trio in the bottom-right and three separate greater-4 cells. The bottleneck is that blue trio, the only region that pins two cells at once, and the orange greater-4 cell on the left edge is worth staring at too because it has just one neighbour on the whole board. Solve the trio and both purple runs and the pink block unravel in a straight line. This NYT Pips medium is a genuine step up — budget fifteen minutes.
Hard (Rodolfo Kurchan) is the real test: a tall board carrying seven sum regions, a purple equals column running down the top-left and an orange unequal block in the top-right where all four pips must differ. There is no giveaway cell; the bottom teal sum-1 run and the blue sum-3 row are the two places that open, while the central sums — the green sum-8 run and the purple sum-9 pair — only resolve once the equals column is locked. Expect a slow, deliberate first half and a quick finish.
💡 Progressive Hints
Try these hints one at a time. Each hint becomes more specific to help you solve it yourself!
💡 Start with the sum regions
Before you touch the equals block, scan the sum regions. The tightest one sits in the bottom-left corner of the board and is small enough that its cells can only be built one way — squeeze it first and the rest of the grid starts moving on its own.
💡 Break the pink sum-2 pocket
That pink sum 2 pocket in the bottom-left corner can only be two matching low pips plus a zero, and the 1/1 double is the only tile in the tray small enough to supply the pair — stand it vertically down the pocket's left column. Notice too that the pocket's leftover cell sits directly left of the uncoloured free square, so the tile filling it has to reach out of the pocket. Meanwhile the purple equals block up top needs one pip repeated three times, and only one tray value can be produced three ways.
💡 Easy: the full layout
Complete layout. Bottom-left pink sum 2: stand the 1/1 double vertically in the pocket's left column — the upper 1 goes in the top-left cell, the lower 1 directly beneath it. Then lay the 0/2 tile flat along the bottom row, 0 on the left in the pocket's bottom-right cell (finishing the 1+1+0 the region wants) and 2 on the right in the uncoloured free square. Purple equals: stand the 3/3 double vertically on the block's right side, one 3 in the top-right cell and one directly below it; then bring the 4/3 tile up into the block — 3 is the upper half landing in the block's bottom-left cell, 4 is the lower half landing in the left cell of the teal sum-10 pair just below. Teal and orange to finish: the teal pair's left cell already holds that 4, so its right cell needs a 6 — lay the 6/5 tile flat across the middle right, 6 on the left completing the teal 4+6 and 5 on the right in the orange greater-4 cell.
💡 The tightest sums first
Start with the sum regions, not the equals blocks. The tightest sum on the board is small enough that its cells can only be built from the lowest pips in the tray, and everything else on the grid hangs off it. Find it and the equals blocks unravel in a straight line.
💡 The blue trio is the hinge
The blue sum-1 trio in the bottom-right is that hinge: three cells adding to 1 can only be one 1 flanked by two 0s. The tray holds exactly one tile carrying a 1, so it must reach into that trio — and whatever sits on its other half is the value the pink equals block beside it has to repeat three times. That same block also touches the orange greater-4 cell on the left edge, whose only neighbour on the board is the block itself.
💡 Medium: the full layout
Full solution. Orange greater-4 and the pink equals block: lay the 6/6 double flat so its left 6 fills the orange cell on the left edge and its right 6 drops into the pink block's bottom-left cell next to it. The pink block commits to 6s, so the 5/6 tile lies flat one row above with 6 on the left in the block's top-right cell and 5 on the right in the teal greater-4 cell, and the 1/6 tile lies flat one row below with 6 on the left in the block's bottom-right cell and 1 on the right in the blue sum-1 trio. Blue sum 1: the 0/5 tile puts its 0 in the trio's top-right cell and its 5 in the green greater-4 cell on the right edge; the 4/0 tile puts its 0 in the trio's bottom-right cell and its 4 in the bottom purple run's right cell. Bottom purple run: the 4/4 double lies flat, 4 in the run's left cell and 4 in its middle cell — three 4s together with the one from the 4/0. Top purple run: the 3/0 tile lies flat, 3 on the left in the uncoloured free square and 0 on the right in the run's left cell, while the 0/0 double fills the run's middle and right cells. Eight tiles, every region satisfied.
💡 Sums before equals
Start with the sum regions rather than the equals column or the unequal block. The smallest sums on this board pin their cells almost instantly, and the big central sums only open up once those are settled. Treat the equal column as the last piece, not the first.
💡 The bottom teal run
The teal sum-1 run along the bottom edge is the giveaway — three cells adding to 1 can only be one 1 between two 0s, and one of those 0s has to arrive from the tile standing vertically above the run's left cell. Just above that vertical tile sits the purple sum-9 pair, and over on the right of the same two rows is the pink sum-6 pair. Up in the centre, the green sum-8 run rests its left cell directly on top of the purple pair's upper cell.
💡 Stitch the green 8 to the purple 9
Those two central regions are joined by a single tile: the 4/4 double stands vertically so its upper 4 lands in the green run's left cell and its lower 4 lands in the top cell of the purple sum-9 pair. That pins the rest of the green run — its middle and right cells need 4 between them — and leaves the purple pair chasing a 5, which the vertical tile above the bottom teal run can supply.
💡 Lock the top-left corner
Now the top-left. The purple equals column repeats one pip three times: the 3/1 tile lies flat across the top edge, putting its 3 in the column's top cell and its 1 in the pink sum-3 pair beside it, while the 3/3 double stands vertically beneath it in the column for the other two 3s. That forces a 2 into the pink pair's right cell — the upper half of the 6/2 tile, whose 6 drops into the teal sum-8 pair below. Further down the left side, the blue sum-3 row is built from the 0/0 double plus the 3 at the right end of the 2/3 tile, which also carries a 2 up into that same teal pair.
💡 Hard: the full layout
Full solution. Top-left: the 3/1 tile lies flat across the corner — 3 on the left in the purple equals column's top cell, 1 on the right in the pink sum-3 pair — and the 3/3 double stands vertically below it in that column, 3 upper in the middle cell and 3 lower in the bottom cell. Beside them the 6/2 tile stands vertically, 2 as the upper half in the pink pair's right cell (making that pair 1+2) and 6 as the lower half in the teal sum-8's upper cell; the 2/3 tile stands vertically below to finish it, 2 upper in the teal sum-8's lower cell (6+2) and 3 lower in the blue sum-3 row's right cell, with the 0/0 double lying flat across that row's left two cells. Green sum-8 run: the 4/4 double stands vertically, 4 upper in the run's left cell and 4 lower in the purple sum-9 pair's upper cell, and the 2/2 double lies flat across the run's middle and right cells so it reads 4+2+2. Purple sum-9: the 5/0 tile stands vertically, 5 upper in the pair's lower cell (4+5) and 0 lower in the teal sum-1's left cell, then the 1/0 tile lies flat across that run's middle and right, 1 on the left and 0 on the right, so the sum-1 reads 0+1+0. Pink sum-6 on the right: the 4/2 tile stands vertically, 4 upper and 2 lower. Orange unequal block: the 5/6 tile lies flat along its top edge, 6 on the left and 5 on the right, and the 4/3 tile stands vertically beneath, 3 upper in the middle-left cell and 4 lower in the bottom-left cell — four different pips.
🎨 Pips Solver
Sep 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
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: Read the board
Five regions, five tiles. The purple equals block sits at the top with three cells; the pink sum-2 pocket is in the bottom-left corner; the teal sum-10 pair runs across the centre; one orange cell on the right must be greater than 4; and there's an uncoloured free square at the bottom. The two tightest constraints are the pink sum 2 and the purple equals, so start there — neither the orange cell nor the free square tells you anything yet.
2
Step 2: The pink sum 2 gives itself away
Three cells adding to 2 can only be 1+1+0: any 2 in there would need two more zeros, and the tray holds a single zero, on the 0/2 tile. So the 1/1 double stands vertically down the pocket's left column, and the 0 half of the 0/2 tile takes the pocket's bottom-right cell — which leaves that tile's 2 hanging in the uncoloured free square next door.
3
Step 3: The equals block locks to 3s
The purple block needs one pip three times over, and the tray can only manage that with a double plus a spare. The 3/3 double covers two of the block's cells — the top-right one and the one directly below it — so the block's third cell, the bottom-left one, has to take a 3, which comes from the 4/3 tile. That places the 4/3 tile's other half, a 4, in the left cell of the teal pair beneath it.
4
Step 4: Teal and orange fall last
The teal sum-10 pair already holds 4 in its left cell, so its right cell must be a 6. The only tile left is the 6/5: lay it flat with 6 in the teal pair's right cell to complete 4+6=10 and 5 in the orange greater-4 cell, which comfortably beats 4. Every region checks out.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Medium Level
1
Step 1: Map the pressure points
This board has two purple equals runs of three — one along the top, one along the bottom — a pink equals block in the middle-left, a blue sum-1 trio in the bottom-right and three lone greater-4 cells. Nothing here is a giveaway except the blue trio: three cells adding to 1 is by far the sharpest constraint in the puzzle, so it sets the tone for everything else.
2
Step 2: The blue sum 1 needs a 1 and two 0s
The blue trio can only be 1+0+0. The tray carries exactly one tile with a 1 on it — the 1/6 — so that tile has to reach into the blue region, and it lies across the region's border, with its 6 heading left into the pink equals block. In other words, the pink block's repeated value is already decided for you.
3
Step 3: The orange cell has only one neighbour
The orange greater-4 cell on the left edge touches exactly one other cell on the whole board, and that cell belongs to the pink equals block. The tile covering it therefore has to be the 6/6 double: lay it flat so 6 fills the orange cell and the matching 6 drops into the pink block's bottom-left cell. The pink block is now committed to three 6s.
4
Step 4: Finish the pink block and the blue trio
The pink block's two remaining cells need 6s. The 5/6 tile lies flat one row above, with 6 in the block's top-right cell and 5 in the teal greater-4 cell beside it; the 1/6 tile lies flat one row below, with 6 in the block's bottom-right cell and 1 in the blue trio's top-left cell. Blue now needs two 0s: the 0/5 tile supplies one, its 5 landing in the green greater-4 cell on the right edge, and the 4/0 tile supplies the other, its 4 landing in the bottom purple run's right cell.
5
Step 5: Both purple runs close
The bottom purple run uses the 4/4 double — two 4s in its left and middle cells — plus the 4 from the 4/0 tile, making three matching pips. The top purple run works the same way with the tray's zeros: the 0/0 double fills its middle and right cells, and the 0 half of the 3/0 tile fills its left cell, leaving the 3 sitting in the uncoloured free square. Every region is satisfied.
🔧 Step-by-Step Answer Walkthrough For Hard Level
1
Step 1: Survey the nine regions
Nine regions, twelve tiles. Note the ones that cannot move much: the teal sum-1 run along the bottom edge, which has to be 0+0+1; the blue sum-3 row further up the left side; and the purple equals column running down the top-left corner. The orange unequal block in the top-right is the loosest thing on the board — four cells that must all differ from one another.
2
Step 2: The bottom run is 0-1-0
Three cells summing to 1 must be two 0s and a 1. The tray's 1/0 tile is the natural fit: it lies flat across the run's middle and right cells with 1 on the left and 0 on the right. The run's remaining cell takes its 0 from the tile standing vertically above it, the 5/0, whose upper 5 lands in the purple sum-9 pair — so that pair already knows one of its two pips.
3
Step 3: Green 8 and purple 9 share a tile
The 4/4 double stands vertically so its upper 4 takes the green sum-8 run's left cell and its lower 4 takes the purple sum-9 pair's upper cell. That leaves the green run needing 4 across its middle and right cells — the 2/2 double lies flat there — and the purple pair needing a 5 to reach 9, which the top half of the 5/0 tile provides while its 0 drops into the bottom teal run.
4
Step 4: Blue sum 3 becomes 0+0+3
The blue row's left two cells take the 0/0 double. Its third cell needs a 3, and the 2/3 tile standing vertically at the row's right end supplies it: 2 as the upper half, going up into the teal sum-8 pair's lower cell, and 3 as the lower half in the blue row's right cell. The teal pair up top now has a 2 waiting and needs a 6 above it.
5
Step 5: The top-left corner resolves
The purple equals column repeats one pip three times. The 3/1 tile lies flat across the top edge, putting its 3 in the column's top cell and its 1 in the pink sum-3 pair next door; the 3/3 double stands vertically below in the column for the middle and bottom cells, completing a trio of 3s. The pink sum-3 pair therefore needs a 2 in its right cell, which is the upper half of the 6/2 tile — and that tile's 6 is exactly the pip the teal sum-8 pair was waiting for below it.
6
Step 6: Right-hand side and the unequal block
The pink sum-6 pair at the bottom-right takes the 4/2 tile standing vertically, 4 upper and 2 lower. Finally the orange unequal block: the 5/6 tile lies flat along its top edge, 6 on the left and 5 on the right, and the 4/3 tile stands vertically beneath, 3 in the middle-left cell and 4 in the bottom-left cell. That reads 6, 5, 3 and 4 — four different pips, exactly what the region demands. Everything closes.
💡 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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