NYT Pips Answer Yesterday — Thursday, May 14, 2026
Puzzle #871 • Difficulty 7/10
Yesterday's NYT Pips Answer
Yesterday's NYT Pips Puzzle
Click a domino to reveal its placement
Deep Dive
Grid Dimensions
| Difficulty | Grid | Dominoes | Cells |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 5×3 | 5 | 10 |
| Medium | 6×4 | 8 | 16 |
| Hard | 7×10 | 14 | 28 |
Constraint Breakdown (Medium)
Domino Pool (Medium)
Total pip count
56
Average per domino
7.0
Highest domino
[6|6] = 12
Lowest domino
[1|1] = 2
Constructor
Created by: [object Object]
Puzzle Analysis
The Pips puzzle presented a fairly standard challenge. The Easy section involved a 5x3 grid with five dominoes. This was straightforward. The Medium section expanded to a 6x4 grid using eight dominoes. It required a bit more spatial reasoning. The Hard section was a 7x10 grid with fourteen dominoes. This was the most demanding part. The key insight for solving this Pips puzzle was recognizing how to isolate and solve smaller sections of the grid first. The difficulty ramped up considerably with the Hard section. More dominoes in a larger area naturally increased the complexity and potential for errors. A 7/10 difficulty rating feels accurate. The Hard section alone pushed the puzzle into that higher range.
How to Play NYT Pips
NYT Pips presents a grid with colored constraint regions. Your goal is to place all dominoes from the pool so every constraint is satisfied.
Each domino has two halves showing pip values (0–6 dots). Place them horizontally or vertically on the grid so adjacent cells form valid domino pairs.
Regions impose constraints: 'greater than' (>), 'less than' (<), 'equals' (=), or 'sum'. All cells in a region must satisfy its constraint using the pip values.
Three difficulty levels are available each day: Easy (small grid, few dominoes), Medium (moderate), and Hard (large grid, many dominoes). A new puzzle is available daily at midnight ET.
Play at nytimes.com/games/pips. A new puzzle is available every day.
Tips & Strategy
- Start with the Easy puzzle to learn the constraint types, then work up to Medium and Hard.
- Look for regions with 'equals' constraints first. They restrict which domino pairs can go where most tightly.
- Count how many times each pip value appears in the domino pool. Match these counts against constraint targets to find forced placements.
- On Hard mode, start from corners and edges where dominoes have fewer valid orientations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NYT Pips repeat past answers?
Where can I find all past NYT Pips answers?
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More Special Games
Looking for more puzzles? Try Contexto answer and hints, NYT Mini Crossword help, or today's Nerdle.