NYT Pips Hints, Answers and Walkthrough for Sunday, October 25, 2026

Sunday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Easy and Medium mix equality clues with totals and inequalities, while Hard gives every occupied cell its own exact total. That makes the finale a test of pairing and tile management. We've got hints, a step-by-step walkthrough, and full solutions for Easy, Medium, and Hard.

How to Play Pips

Pips is a domino placement puzzle where you fill a grid of condition zones. Each zone has a rule you must satisfy using the pip values on your dominoes. The twist: you must use every domino and meet every condition to win.

Zone Conditions:

• = All pips in this zone must show the same number
• Not Equal All pips must be different numbers
• > Pips must be greater than the listed number
• < Pips must be less than the listed number
• Exact Number Pips must total that exact value
• No Condition Free space, any domino value works

Click or tap dominoes to rotate them. Each puzzle has one or more valid solutions. In the grids below, rows read top to bottom and a 0 is a blank domino half. When two zones share the same rule, we number them in reading order, top to bottom.

Today's Easy Pips

The Easy board runs four rows by four columns, with ten open cells and five dominoes to place. Its condition zones: a single cell that must show more than 4, a three-cell zone that must total less than 1, a single cell that must show more than 2, a two-cell zone where every pip must match, a two-cell zone that must total 6. Any other open cell is a free space.

Quick Hint: Start with the three-cell zone whose total must be less than 1. Compare its shape with the blank-ended dominoes in the pool before tackling the equality zone below.

Today's Medium Pips

The Medium board runs five rows by four columns, with 14 open cells and seven dominoes to place. Its condition zones: a single cell that must total 0, a single cell that must show less than 2, a two-cell zone where every pip must match, a single cell that must total 3, two single cells that must total 6, a single cell that must show more than 2, a single cell that must show more than 4. Any other open cell is a free space.

Quick Hint: Check the bottom pair of cells together, one requires 6 and the other must exceed 4. Compare those demands with the domino pool before spending a six-ended tile elsewhere.

Today's Hard Pips

The Hard board runs six rows by six columns, with 32 open cells and 16 dominoes to place. Its condition zones: 32 single cells that print their exact pip value. Any other open cell is a free space.

Starting Point: Begin around the single-cell zone marked 6 near the center. Its exact target gives you a firm starting point for checking which neighboring cell can take the other end of a matching tile.

Key Insight: Use the six-ended tile as your anchor, then track each domino as you place it. With an exact total on every occupied cell, the crucial question is which neighboring targets can share a tile that remains available.

Watch Out For: Keep a tile checklist beside this board. Repeated target values make a pair look usable even after you have spent the domino it needs elsewhere.

Solutions and Walkthrough

Last chance to solve independently: full solutions below

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Easy Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 3-5 domino horizontally with the 5 in the more-than-4 cell and the 3 on a free cell.
2. 2.Place the 4-1 domino horizontally across the sum-6 zone and the equals zone, with the 4 in the sum-6 zone.
3. 3.Place the 1-0 domino vertically across the equals zone and the less-than-1 zone, with the 1 in the equals zone.
4. 4.Place the 0-2 domino vertically across the less-than-1 zone and the sum-6 zone, with the 0 in the less-than-1 zone.
5. 5.Place the 3-0 domino horizontally across the more-than-2 cell and the less-than-1 zone, with the 3 in the more-than-2 cell.

The finished Easy grid, reading rows top to bottom (a dash marks an unused square):

Medium Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 2-4 domino horizontally with the 4 in the more-than-2 cell and the 2 on a free cell.
2. 2.Place the 6-0 domino vertically with the 6 in the first sum-6 cell and the 0 on a free cell.
3. 3.Place the 3-3 domino horizontally in the equals zone.
4. 4.Place the 1-3 domino vertically with the 1 in the less-than-2 cell and the 3 on a free cell.
5. 5.Place the 6-5 domino horizontally across the second sum-6 cell and the more-than-4 cell, with the 6 in the second sum-6 cell.
6. 6.Place the 2-3 domino vertically with the 3 in the sum-3 cell and the 2 on a free cell.
7. 7.Place the 0-0 domino horizontally with the 0 in the sum-0 cell and the 0 on a free cell.

The finished Medium grid, top to bottom:

Hard Pips Walkthrough

1. 1.Place the 3-6 horizontally in row 3, with 3 at column 3 and 6 at column 4. Set the 0-5 vertically in column 6, with 5 at row 3 and 0 at row 4. Add the 2-3 vertically in column 5, with 3 at row 2 and 2 at row 3.
2. 2.Place the 0-2 vertically in column 1, with 2 at row 1 and 0 at row 2. Set the 0-3 vertically in column 2, with 0 at row 2 and 3 at row 3. Place the 1-3 vertically in column 1, with 3 at row 3 and 1 at row 4.
3. 3.Across row 1, place the 3-5 with 5 at column 2 and 3 at column 3. Place the 2-5 beside it, with 2 at column 4 and 5 at column 5. In row 2, place the 3-4 horizontally with 3 at column 3 and 4 at column 4.
4. 4.Set the 0-4 vertically in column 2, with 4 at row 4 and 0 at row 5. Place the 1-4 vertically in column 3, with 4 at row 4 and 1 at row 5. Across row 6, place the 4-5 with 4 at column 2 and 5 at column 3.
5. 5.Place the 1-2 horizontally in row 4, with 1 at column 4 and 2 at column 5. Set the 0-1 horizontally in row 5, with 0 at column 5 and 1 at column 6. In row 6, place the 2-4 horizontally with 4 at column 5 and 2 at column 6.
6. 6.Finish with the 1-5 vertically in column 4, placing 5 at row 5 and 1 at row 6.

Hard Pips Solution

1. 1.Place the 0-1 domino horizontally across the fifth sum-0 cell and the fourth sum-1 cell, with the 0 in the fifth sum-0 cell.
2. 2.Place the 0-2 domino vertically across the first sum-0 cell and the first sum-2 cell, with the 0 in the first sum-0 cell.
3. 3.Place the 0-3 domino vertically across the second sum-0 cell and the fifth sum-3 cell, with the 0 in the second sum-0 cell.
4. 4.Place the 0-4 domino vertically across the fourth sum-0 cell and the second sum-4 cell, with the 0 in the fourth sum-0 cell.
5. 5.Place the 0-5 domino vertically across the third sum-0 cell and the third sum-5 cell, with the 0 in the third sum-0 cell.
6. 6.Place the 1-2 domino horizontally across the second sum-1 cell and the fourth sum-2 cell, with the 1 in the second sum-1 cell.
7. 7.Place the 1-3 domino vertically across the first sum-1 cell and the fourth sum-3 cell, with the 1 in the first sum-1 cell.
8. 8.Place the 1-4 domino vertically across the third sum-1 cell and the third sum-4 cell, with the 1 in the third sum-1 cell.
9. 9.Place the 1-5 domino vertically across the fifth sum-1 cell and the fourth sum-5 cell, with the 1 in the fifth sum-1 cell.
10. 10.Place the 2-3 domino vertically across the third sum-2 cell and the third sum-3 cell, with the 2 in the third sum-2 cell.
11. 11.Place the 2-4 domino horizontally across the fifth sum-2 cell and the fifth sum-4 cell, with the 2 in the fifth sum-2 cell.
12. 12.Place the 2-5 domino horizontally across the second sum-2 cell and the second sum-5 cell, with the 2 in the second sum-2 cell.
13. 13.Place the 3-4 domino horizontally across the second sum-3 cell and the first sum-4 cell, with the 3 in the second sum-3 cell.
14. 14.Place the 3-5 domino horizontally across the first sum-3 cell and the first sum-5 cell, with the 3 in the first sum-3 cell.
15. 15.Place the 4-5 domino horizontally across the fourth sum-4 cell and the fifth sum-5 cell, with the 4 in the fourth sum-4 cell.
16. 16.Place the 3-6 domino horizontally across the sixth sum-3 cell and the sum-6 cell, with the 3 in the sixth sum-3 cell.

The finished Hard grid, top to bottom:

Puzzle Debrief

Overall Difficulty: This set offers a measured climb, from Easy's five tiles through Medium's seven to Hard's sixteen. The smaller boards give their mixed clue types room to teach before the larger pairing challenge.

Trickiest Puzzle: Hard is the trickiest board because its exact cell values leave the domino boundaries as the real puzzle. The repeated 3s across row 3 make that distinction especially clear, matching a number is only part of choosing the right tile.

Our Take: Our take is that Hard earns its challenge through careful bookkeeping. Having every cell total spelled out makes each tile choice easy to check, while still rewarding a disciplined solve.

Until Tomorrow

See you for the next board, and keep that habit of checking both ends of every tile.

Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.