Wednesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's grid is a balanced challenge across all three difficulty levels, with heavy reliance on exact-number zones and matching conditions that reward systematic domino placement. 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 grid has multiple zones with the same number conditions (three purple-2 zones, three navy-3 zones). Use these as your anchors -- they determine where the matching dominoes must go.
Key Insight: This puzzle is about elimination. Each domino has two pip values that must match two adjacent zones. If a zone has a unique number requirement, trace its neighbors to find the only possible domino partner.
Watch Out For: Don't commit to a domino orientation too early. Some zones can be satisfied in either horizontal or vertical alignment, and choosing wrong blocks later placements. Test both orientations before locking in.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Start with zones that have the most restrictive conditions. The orange (0) zone requires a pip value of exactly 0. The only domino with a 0 that also fits an adjacent zone is 4/0 (teal needs 4) or 0/1 (orange needs 1). Place 4/0 horizontally in teal (4) and orange (0) to anchor one corner.
- 2.Purple (2) and pink (4) are another exact match. Place 2/4 horizontally. This resolves two zones with a single domino and gives you a reference point for the rest of the grid.
- 3.Work the vertical axis. Navy (3) and green (5) take 3/5 vertically. Then green (3) and purple (0) take 3/0 vertically. These vertical placements create a structural backbone for the grid.
- 4.Pink (3) and teal (1) are a clean vertical pair with 3/1. Teal (0) and orange (1) go horizontal with 0/1. At this point, roughly one-third of the grid is solved.
- 5.The middle section requires careful adjacency checks. Orange (4) and navy (3) get 4/3 horizontally. Navy (5) and green (1) get 5/1 vertically. Verify each placement against remaining zone conditions before proceeding.
- 6.Purple (2) and pink (0) take 2/0 horizontally. Orange (4) and navy (1) take 4/1 vertically. Navy (3) and green (2) take 3/2 vertically. Each placement eliminates two zones and narrows the remaining options.
- 7.Finish the final cluster. Green (5) and purple (2) get 5/2 horizontally. Purple (5) and pink (0) get 5/0 horizontally. Pink (2) and teal (1) get 2/1 vertically. The last domino 4/5 goes in teal (4) and orange (5). Double-check that every zone condition is satisfied.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 2/4 domino horizontally in the purple (2) zone and pink (4) zone
- 2.Place the 4/0 domino horizontally in the teal (4) zone and orange (0) zone
- 3.Place the 3/5 domino vertically in the navy (3) zone and green (5) zone
- 4.Place the 3/0 domino vertically in the green (3) zone and purple (0) zone
- 5.Place the 3/1 domino vertically in the pink (3) zone and teal (1) zone
- 6.Place the 0/1 domino horizontally in the teal (0) zone and orange (1) zone
- 7.Place the 4/3 domino horizontally in the orange (4) zone and navy (3) zone
- 8.Place the 5/1 domino vertically in the navy (5) zone and green (1) zone
- 9.Place the 2/0 domino horizontally in the purple (2) zone and pink (0) zone
- 10.Place the 4/1 domino vertically in the orange (4) zone and navy (1) zone
- 11.Place the 3/2 domino vertically in the navy (3) zone and green (2) zone
- 12.Place the 5/2 domino horizontally in the green (5) zone and purple (2) zone
- 13.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally in the purple (5) zone and pink (0) zone
- 14.Place the 2/1 domino vertically in the pink (2) zone and teal (1) zone
- 15.Place the 4/5 domino in the teal (4) zone and orange (5) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The zone conditions across all three levels are identical in structure, but the Hard puzzle demands more strategic thinking about orientation and adjacency.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The puzzle has multiple zones with repeated number conditions (three navy-3 zones, three purple-2 zones), which creates ambiguity. Choosing the wrong domino orientation for one of these zones can cascade into a dead end, forcing a restart.
Our Take: Today's set is a masterclass in constraint satisfaction. The Easy and Medium puzzles are straightforward if you match zone conditions methodically, but the Hard level punishes careless placements. The key lesson: always verify both horizontal and vertical options before committing a domino. Clean, logical, and satisfying.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
