NYT Pips HelperWednesday, August 26, 2026
Hints, answers & a solver for the New York Times Pips puzzle
Today's hintHint archiveAll answers

Pips hints — Monday, September 15, 2025

An archived puzzle. Pick your difficulty for a spoiler-safe nudge, then reveal the full board if you want it.

Monday, September 15, 2025Archived board

The Easy grid runs to 5 regions and 4 tiles, with target-sum rules in play. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Easy
Start with the blue region — its one cell must be exactly 1. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Easy
Place the 1–5 domino across row 1, columns 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to exactly 1. The 1 half sits in the blue region, which must be exactly 1.
Reveal the full Easy answer

Easy solution — September 15, 2025

10
15
44
30

blue (=1): 1 | purple (=9): 5 · 4 | green (=4): 4 · 0 | amber (=3): 3 · 0 | orange: 1

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue1 — Be exactly 11
Purple9 — Add up to exactly 92
Green4 — Add up to exactly 42
Amber3 — Add up to exactly 32
OrangeTake any value it likes1

The Medium grid runs to 7 regions and 8 tiles, with target-sum and all-equal rules in play. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hint 1 — where to start

Medium
Start with the orange region — its two cells must add up to exactly 1. Only 2 pip combinations fit it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Medium
Place the 2–0 domino across row 2, columns 3–4. It is the only tile that works there, because orange must add up to exactly 1. The 2 half sits in the amber region, which must show the same number on every cell.

Hint 3

Medium
The 1–0 belongs across row 3, columns 4–5. It is the only tile that works there, because orange must add up to exactly 1.
Reveal the full Medium answer

Medium solution — September 15, 2025

63
22
20
66
11
21
35
10

blue (=6): 3 · 3 | purple: 5 | green (=): 6 · 6 · 6 | amber (=): 2 · 2 · 2 | orange (=1): 0 · 1 | slate (=2): 2 · 0 | teal (=): 1 · 1 · 1

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue6 — Add up to exactly 62
PurpleTake any value it likes1
Green= — Show the same number on every cell3
Amber= — Show the same number on every cell3
Orange1 — Add up to exactly 12
Slate2 — Add up to exactly 22
Teal= — Show the same number on every cell3

The Hard grid runs to 9 regions and 12 tiles, with target-sum rules in play. We give you a light nudge first — enough to get unstuck without spoiling the fun — and the full answer only when you ask for it.

Hard is where most players get stuck.We break it into small, spoiler-safe nudges so you can stop the moment you’re unstuck.

Hint 1 — where to start

Hard
Start with the purple region — its one cell must be exactly 1. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Hard
Place the 1–5 domino down column 5, rows 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because purple must add up to exactly 1. The 1 half sits in the purple region, which must be exactly 1.

Hint 3

Hard
The 0–0 belongs down column 3, rows 3–4. It is the only tile that works there, because green must add up to exactly 0. The 0 half sits in the green region, which must be exactly 0.

Hint 4

Hard
There is exactly one home for the 6–5: across row 4, columns 1–2. It is the only tile that works there, because amber must add up to exactly 6. The 6 half sits in the amber region, which must be exactly 6.
Reveal the full Hard answer

Hard solution — September 15, 2025

65
12
45
15
53
25
44
00
42
33
34
55

blue (=63): 5 · 5 · 5 · 3 · 5 · 5 · 4 · 5 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 3 · 3 · 5 · 4 · 2 | purple (=1): 1 | green (=0): 0 | amber (=6): 6 | orange (=0): 0 | slate (=4): 4 | teal (=4): 4 | pink: 2 | lime (=1): 1

Prefer to watch it worked out step by step? Try the Pips Solver.

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue63 — Add up to exactly 6316
Purple1 — Be exactly 11
Green0 — Be exactly 01
Amber6 — Be exactly 61
Orange0 — Be exactly 01
Slate4 — Be exactly 41
Teal4 — Be exactly 41
PinkTake any value it likes1
Lime1 — Be exactly 11
All hintsFull answers for this dayJun 28 →