NYT Pips hints and answers, Thursday, October 15, 2026
Easy, Medium and Hard, each with its own ladder: where to start, what goes there, one domino placed, then the full solution.
Play along
Fill every region to its rulePick a domino, then tap where it goes.
Pick a domino, then tap where it goes.
Pick a domino, then tap where it goes.
Tap a placed domino to pick it up. Keys: R rotates. Any arrangement that meets every rule counts.
The hint ladder
0 of 12 hints usedNudgeReveal nudge
Start with the cell that must equal 1 at row 1, column 4. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.
HintReveal hint
That cell is a 1, and only one domino has a 1: the 5–1.
One wordReveal one word
Place the 5–1 domino with the 5 at row 2, column 4 and the 1 at row 1, column 4.
AnswerReveal answer
Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 5–1: R2C4→R1C4; 5–6: R2C3→R2C2; 4–2: R3C2→R3C1; 3–6: R4C3→R3C3; 4–0: R2C1→R1C1.
NudgeReveal nudge
Start with the cell that must be less than 1 at row 3, column 3. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.
HintReveal hint
That cell is a 0, and only one domino has a 0: the 4–0.
One wordReveal one word
Place the 4–0 domino with the 4 at row 3, column 2 and the 0 at row 3, column 3.
AnswerReveal answer
Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 4–2: R3C1→R4C1; 3–3: R2C1→R2C2; 5–2: R5C4→R5C3; 3–4: R1C3→R2C3; 1–4: R5C2→R5C1; 5–4: R3C4→R2C4; 5–5: R4C3→R4C4; 4–0: R3C2→R3C3.
NudgeReveal nudge
Start with the cell that must equal 5 at row 2, column 3. It has the fewest ways to be satisfied.
HintReveal hint
That cell is a 5. Only 2 dominoes have a 5: 0–5, 3–5.
One wordReveal one word
Place the 3–5 domino with the 3 at row 1, column 3 and the 5 at row 2, column 3.
AnswerReveal answer
Full solution (domino: first half → second half): 4–6: R1C8→R2C8; 4–3: R4C7→R3C7; 2–2: R2C6→R3C6; 0–5: R4C8→R3C8; 4–4: R3C5→R4C5; 3–3: R4C1→R4C2; 1–4: R1C1→R1C2; 2–0: R2C1→R3C1; 1–3: R3C3→R4C3; 2–4: R2C5→R1C5; 3–5: R1C3→R2C3.
Hints drafted with AI and checked automatically for spoilers. How we write hints