Need some help with the NYT Pips today? Unlike the other NYT Games, Pips is one of the few that focuses on numbers and logical placement. No worries, though; we've got you covered.
Below, we've compiled hints and solutions for the Easy and Medium puzzles, along with a comprehensive guide for the Hard Pips. You can play along here.
Spoilers below for the July 22 Pips. Only read if you want the solutions for today's Pips puzzles.
Alternatively, for more word-based puzzling, check out our guides for tips and solutions to Connections, Strands and Wordle.
Pips tips — how to play Pips
Pips is a domino placement game featuring a grid of multicolored boxes that gets more complicated and larger as you go up in difficulty. Each colored zone represents a condition you have to meet.
You select dominoes and place dominoes into the grid to meet those conditions. You must use every domino to achieve each condition and win the game. Clicking or tapping on the dominoes rotates them so you can position the tiles.
In the above example from a medium puzzle, there are four colored zones. Your placed dominoes must total 12 in the purple zone. In the teal and orange sectors, the number of domino pips must be greater than 3.
In the hard mode, the zones and symbols get more complicated. For example, you could see a crossed-out equal sign, meaning that the three squares you place must be different numbers.
Here are the various symbols you might see:
- = All pips must be the same in this group
- ≠ All pips must not be the same number in this group
- > The pips in the tile must be greater than the listed number
- < The pips in this tile must be less than the listed number
- A number [like 12], the pips must equal that exact number
- Tiles with no color can be anything; think of this as a free space
To win a game of Pips, you must fulfill every condition and fill every square. In some puzzles, there is only one correct solution. In others, usually the harder ones, there can be multiple solutions.
Today's Pips answers — hints to help you solve it
Below are the solutions for the Easy and Medium-level Pips. After that, you can find a fuller walkthrough for the Hard level. Spoilers below.
Today's Easy Pips solution
Today's Medium Pips solution
Today's Hard Pips walkthrough and solution
Today's Hard Pips puzzle looks like a little bird; I'm going to go with a sandpiper like the one from that Pixar short.
I started in the feet of our little friend with 3/3 going in the blue = set because I thought the 5/5 and 6/6 would be needed for one of the big numbers above. Then 0/5 is the only one that can fill the orange >4 and teal 0.
Then I chased individual squares. So above the feet, I took the 1/2 for the pink 1 and purple = set, largely because I thought the other 1 tiles would fit near the 0 blue section in the middle. Then I used the 2/6 for the other purple = square and the teal 11 set.
I have three 2s now; I figured the 2/0 for the 0 set, so it's 2/3 or 2/4. Maybe you could have slotted the 2/3, but I put in the 2/4 for the pink 2 square and half of the purple = set in the tail. This means the 4/5 has to take the other square and the last teal 11 square.
Finally, I did some counting and figured the 4s for the orange = set above the 0. So 4/0 goes into the blue 0 and orange = sets. Thus, 3/0 crosses into the orange = duo, and 2/0 goes up into the teal 3. 1/3 caps the teal 3 and orange = set. Then, 4/3 I used to go into the purple = set, and orange = trio. 4/1 caps the orange = set and blue 1 square.
This means 3/5 has to cap the purple = set and pink 5. Thus, 2/3 has to go in the purple 2 and olive 13 set. Then 5/5 caps the olive 13, while 6/6 goes into the olive 12.
Here's what the little birdy looks like in visual form:
Hard Pips solution
