NYT Pips HelperWednesday, August 26, 2026
Hints, answers & a solver for the New York Times Pips puzzle

Pips hints — Monday, August 10, 2026

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

Monday, August 10, 2026Archived board

Easy today: 5 dominoes, 7 regions and less-than, greater-than, target-sum and all-equal constraints. 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 less than 2. Only 2 pip combinations fit it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Easy
Lay the 3–3 across row 4, columns 3–4 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because teal must show the same number on every cell. The 3 half sits in the orange region, which must add up to exactly 3.
Reveal the full Easy answer

Easy solution — August 10, 2026

33
53
00
15
40

blue (<2): 1 | purple: 5 | green (>2): 4 | amber: 0 | orange (=3): 0 · 0 · 3 | slate: 5 | teal (=): 3 · 3

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

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue<2 — Be less than 21
PurpleTake any value it likes1
Green>2 — Be more than 21
AmberTake any value it likes1
Orange3 — Add up to exactly 33
SlateTake any value it likes1
Teal= — Show the same number on every cell2

Medium today: 7 dominoes, 8 regions and greater-than, target-sum and all-equal constraints. 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 teal region — its one cell must be more than 3. Only 3 pip combinations fit it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Medium
Lay the 4–6 down column 2, rows 3–4 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because purple must add up to more than 10. The 4 half sits in the pink region, which must add up to exactly 9.

Hint 3

Medium
Place the 2–4 domino down column 3, rows 3–4. It is the only tile that works there, because green must add up to exactly 3.
Reveal the full Medium answer

Medium solution — August 10, 2026

11
15
01
16
41
46
24

blue (>0): 1 | purple (>10): 5 · 6 | green (=3): 1 · 2 | amber (=7): 6 · 1 | orange: 0 | slate (=): 1 · 1 | teal (>3): 4 | pink (=9): 1 · 4 · 4

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

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue>0 — Be more than 01
Purple>10 — Add up to more than 102
Green3 — Add up to exactly 32
Amber7 — Add up to exactly 72
OrangeTake any value it likes1
Slate= — Show the same number on every cell2
Teal>3 — Be more than 31
Pink9 — Add up to exactly 93

Hard today: 12 dominoes, 16 regions and target-sum and greater-than constraints. 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 teal region — its one cell must be exactly 3. Only 1 pip combination fits it at all, which is why it gives way first.

Hint 2

Hard
Lay the 5–3 down column 5, rows 3–4 — no guesswork needed. It is the only tile that works there, because teal must add up to exactly 3. The 5 half sits in the brown region, which must add up to exactly 7.

Hint 3

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

Hint 4

Hard
The 2–0 belongs across row 4, columns 6–7. It is the only tile that works there, because blue must add up to exactly 0. The 2 half sits in the brown region, which must add up to exactly 7.
Reveal the full Hard answer

Hard solution — August 10, 2026

15
26
44
06
53
20
43
56
04
63
52
03

blue (=12): 6 · 6 | purple (=4): 3 · 1 | green (>3): 4 | amber (=9): 5 · 4 | orange (>3): 4 | slate (>2): 5 | teal (=3): 3 | pink (=7): 2 · 5 | lime (=0): 0 | brown (=7): 5 · 2 | blue (=0): 0 | purple (=6): 3 · 3 | green (=0): 0 | amber (=8): 6 · 2 | orange (=10): 4 · 6 | slate (=0): 0

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

What each region asks for

RegionRuleCells
Blue12 — Add up to exactly 122
Purple4 — Add up to exactly 42
Green>3 — Be more than 31
Amber9 — Add up to exactly 92
Orange>3 — Be more than 31
Slate>2 — Be more than 21
Teal3 — Be exactly 31
Pink7 — Add up to exactly 72
Lime0 — Be exactly 01
Brown7 — Add up to exactly 72
Blue0 — Be exactly 01
Purple6 — Add up to exactly 62
Green0 — Be exactly 01
Amber8 — Add up to exactly 82
Orange10 — Add up to exactly 102
Slate0 — Be exactly 01
← Aug 9 All hintsFull answers for this dayAug 11 →