Wednesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's board is a lesson in exact totals: the teal (16) and purple (14) zones demand precise pip math, and the "greater than" and "less than" thresholds keep you honest on every drop.
We've got hints, step-by-step walkthroughs, and full solutions for Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.
How to Play Pips
Pips is a domino placement puzzle where you fill a grid of color-coded zones. Each zone has a condition 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 equal 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 Color Free space, any domino value works
Click or tap dominoes to rotate them. Each puzzle has one or more valid solutions.
Today's Easy Pips
Today's Medium Pips
Today's Hard Pips
Quick Hints (No Spoilers)
Starting Point: The two big totals, teal (16) and purple (14), are the whole game. The teal zone takes exactly 5/5 plus 6/1, and the purple zone takes exactly 6/6 plus 2/0.
Get those locked and the rest of the board is cleanup duty.
Key Insight: The pink (=) zone is your pivot. Three dominoes feed a 0 into it, so it anchors the low-pip side of the board while the high pips run to the totals and the "greater than" thresholds.
Solve pink first and the layout stops being mysterious.
Watch Out For: The 5/6 domino in the pink (12) zone is the sneaky one. It completes the exact total, but only after the 2/1 has already been placed.
Drop the 5/6 too early and the 2/1 has nowhere to go, stranding the green (>0) zone.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Open the teal (16) total with the 5/5 placed vertically, moving it to 10.
- 2.Close the teal (16) total with the 6/1 placed horizontally across the teal (16) zone and the pink (>0) zone. The total hits exactly 16, and the 1 clears the pink over-zero bar.
- 3.Start the purple (14) total with the 6/6 placed horizontally, leaping to 12.
- 4.Finish with the 2/0 placed vertically across the purple (14) zone and the uncolored (no condition) zone. The purple total lands at exactly 14, and the free space accepts any value.
- 5.Place the 3/0 vertically so the 3 lands in the purple (3) zone and the 0 lands in the pink (=) zone. The purple exact-number check is done immediately.
- 6.Lay the 6/0 horizontally across the orange (>3) zone and the pink (=) zone. The 6 clears the threshold, and the 0 keeps the pink value locked at 0.
- 7.Place the 1/0 horizontally across the purple (<3) zone and the pink (=) zone. The 1 passes the under-3 rule, and pink holds at 0.
- 8.Set the navy (=) zone with the 0/0 placed vertically, establishing that region's matching value at 0.
- 9.Run the 5/0 vertically so the 5 lands in the green (5) zone and the 0 lands in the navy (=) zone. Green's exact check is complete, and navy keeps its 0.
- 10.Start the pink (12) total with the 2/1 placed vertically across the green (>0) zone and the pink (12) zone. This satisfies green's over-zero check and sets pink's total at 2.
- 11.Complete the pink (12) total with the 5/6 placed horizontally in the pink (12) zone. The total now reads exactly 12.
- 12.Bridge the teal (<3) zone to the orange (>3) zone with the 1/4 placed horizontally. The 1 clears the under-3 check, and the 4 clears the over-3 bar.
- 13.Set the navy (=) value at 3 with the 3/3 placed vertically, then hold it with the 5/3 placed horizontally across the orange (>3) zone and the navy (=) zone.
- 14.Lock the teal (=) zone with the 4/4 placed vertically, and bridge it to the navy (=) zone with the 4/3 placed horizontally.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 5/5 domino vertically in the teal (16) zone
- 2.Place the 6/1 domino horizontally in the teal (16) zone and pink (>0) zone
- 3.Place the 6/6 domino horizontally in the purple (14) zone
- 4.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the purple (14) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 5.Place the 3/0 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone and pink (=) zone
- 6.Place the 6/0 domino horizontally in the orange (>3) zone and pink (=) zone.
- 7.Place the 1/0 domino horizontally in the purple (<3) zone and pink (=) zone.
- 8.Place the 0/0 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone.
- 9.Place the 5/0 domino vertically in the green (5) zone and navy (=) zone
- 10.Place the 2/1 domino vertically in the green (>0) zone and pink (12) zone
- 11.Place the 5/6 domino horizontally in the pink (12) zone
- 12.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the teal (<3) zone and orange (>3) zone
- 13.Place the 3/3 domino vertically in the navy (=) zone
- 14.Place the 5/3 domino horizontally in the orange (>3) zone and navy (=) zone
- 15.Place the 4/4 domino vertically in the teal (=) zone
- 16.Place the 4/3 domino horizontally in the teal (=) zone and navy (=) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. Today's board is a well-balanced mix of exact totals, threshold checks, and matching zones.
The puzzle rewards methodical sequencing over raw speed, and the two big totals keep you honest to the final drop.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The pink (12) zone is the real trap. It demands a two-domino sequence (2/1 plus 5/6) that must land in the right order, and the 5/6 is easy to drop prematurely.
Misplace it and the green (>0) zone strands with nowhere to go.
Our Take: Today's set is a clean lesson in exact-total discipline. The teal (16) and purple (14) zones force you to commit high pips deliberately, while the pink (=) zone quietly anchors the low side of the board.
Solve the pink (=) zone first and everything else clicks into a satisfying rhythm. Solid midweek brainteaser.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
