Wednesday brings a fresh set of NYT Pips puzzles. Today's grid delivers a well-balanced challenge with plenty of exact-number constraints that reward methodical 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 double-4 domino is the only piece that can satisfy both the purple (4) and pink (4) zones simultaneously. Start there and work outward.
Key Insight: Count your zero-value dominoes carefully. The orange (0), navy (0), and teal (0) zones all require pips equal to 0, so the 5/0, 2/0, and 1/0 dominoes are your only options for those slots.
Watch Out For: Don't waste your uncolored zones early. The 5/4, 6/2, and 3/5 dominoes all need uncolored landing spots. Misplacing them early will force a restart.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
- 1.Place the 4/4 domino horizontally in the purple (4) and pink (4) zones. This is your only option for the double-4, and both zones require all pips to equal exactly 4. Lock this in first.
- 2.Place the 3/4 domino horizontally in the teal (3) and orange (4) zones. The 3 satisfies teal's condition, and the 4 satisfies orange's condition. This domino bridges two zones with different exact-value requirements.
- 3.Place the 3/3 domino horizontally in the navy (3) and green (3) zones. Both zones need all pips equal to 3, making this a clean fit that closes out two constraints at once.
- 4.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the pink (1) and teal (2) zones. The pink zone needs pips equal to 1, and teal needs pips equal to 2. This vertical placement connects two zones in the upper grid.
- 5.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally in the teal (5) and orange (0) zones. The teal zone requires pips equal to 5, and orange requires pips equal to 0. This is one of three dominoes containing a zero, so placement here is critical.
- 6.Place the 2/3 domino horizontally in the orange (2) and navy (3) zones. Both values match their zone conditions exactly, continuing the horizontal pattern.
- 7.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in the navy (2) and green (4) zones. Navy needs pips equal to 2, and green needs pips equal to 4. This vertical placement connects the lower grid sections.
- 8.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the green (6) and purple (4) zones. The green zone requires pips equal to 6, and purple requires pips equal to 4. The 6 is the highest pip value in the puzzle and fits exclusively here.
- 9.Place the 3/1 domino vertically in the purple (3) and pink (1) zones. Both values satisfy their zone conditions. The vertical orientation preserves horizontal space for remaining placements.
- 10.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the orange (5) zone and the first uncolored zone. The orange zone needs pips equal to 5. The uncolored zone has no condition, giving you flexibility.
- 11.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the navy (2) and teal (0) zones. The navy zone requires pips equal to 2, and teal needs pips equal to 0. This uses the second zero-value domino.
- 12.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the green (1) and purple (4) zones. Green needs pips equal to 1, and purple needs pips equal to 4. Both values are exact matches.
- 13.Place the 6/2 domino horizontally in the pink (6) zone and the second uncolored zone. The pink zone requires pips equal to 6. The uncolored zone absorbs the 2 without any condition.
- 14.Place the 1/0 domino horizontally in the orange (1) and navy (0) zones. This is your third and final zero-value domino. The orange zone needs pips equal to 1, and navy needs pips equal to 0.
- 15.Place the 3/5 domino horizontally in the green (3) zone and the final uncolored zone. The green zone requires pips equal to 3. The uncolored zone takes the 5 with no restrictions.
Hard Pips Solution
Last chance to solve independently
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- 1.Place the 4/4 domino horizontally in the purple (4) zone and pink (4) zone
- 2.Place the 3/4 domino horizontally in the teal (3) zone and orange (4) zone
- 3.Place the 3/3 domino horizontally in the navy (3) zone and green (3) zone
- 4.Place the 1/2 domino vertically in the pink (1) zone and teal (2) zone
- 5.Place the 5/0 domino horizontally in the teal (5) zone and orange (0) zone
- 6.Place the 2/3 domino horizontally in the orange (2) zone and navy (3) zone
- 7.Place the 2/4 domino vertically in the navy (2) zone and green (4) zone
- 8.Place the 6/4 domino vertically in the green (6) zone and purple (4) zone
- 9.Place the 3/1 domino vertically in the purple (3) zone and pink (1) zone
- 10.Place the 5/4 domino vertically in the orange (5) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 11.Place the 2/0 domino vertically in the navy (2) zone and teal (0) zone
- 12.Place the 1/4 domino horizontally in the green (1) zone and purple (4) zone
- 13.Place the 6/2 domino horizontally in the pink (6) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
- 14.Place the 1/0 domino horizontally in the orange (1) zone and navy (0) zone
- 15.Place the 3/5 domino horizontally in the green (3) zone and uncolored (no condition) zone
Puzzle Debrief
Overall Difficulty: Moderate challenge. The exact-number conditions across all three difficulties create a consistent solving experience, but the vertical placements require more spatial reasoning than a typical Wednesday set.
Trickiest Puzzle: Hard - The three uncolored zones create a resource-management problem. You have exactly three dominoes (5/4, 6/2, and 3/5) that must occupy those flexible slots, and misplacing any of them early breaks the entire grid. The zero-value dominoes also require careful tracking across three different zones.
Our Take: Today's Pips set rewards systematic thinking over brute force. The exact-number conditions are generous but the vertical domino placements demand you visualize the full grid before committing. The Hard puzzle in particular teaches a valuable lesson: identify your flexible zones early and reserve them for the dominoes that need them most.
Tomorrow's Pips drops at midnight. See you then.
