Welcome to your comprehensive resource on Pips, the newest addition to the New York Times game collection. Launched in August 2025, Pips introduces a fresh twist to dominoes, offering an engaging single-player experience that could easily turn into your daily gaming ritual. At present, if you find yourself at an impasse, the game merely provides the option to display the complete puzzle, compelling you to proceed to the next level of difficulty and restart. Nonetheless, we’ve got your back! Below are incremental hints that will guide you through each level of difficulty.

How to engage with Pips

For those familiar with dominoes, you’ll have a basic understanding of how Pips operates. As noted in our earlier hints regarding Pips, the tiles, similar to dominoes, are arranged either vertically or horizontally and connect with one another. The primary distinction between a classic domino game and Pips lies in the color-coded requirements you must fulfill. The adjacent tiles don’t always need to correspond.

The requirements you must satisfy pertain specifically to the color-coded areas. For instance, if it specifies a single number, every side of a tile in that area must total to the stated number. It’s possible — and often the case — for only a portion of a tile to fall within a color-coded area.

Here are typical scenarios you’ll encounter across various difficulty levels:

Number: All the pips in this area must equal the given number.
Equal: Each domino half in this section must consist of the same number of pips.
Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must display entirely different numbers of pips.
Less than: Each domino half in this area must sum to less than the specified number.
Greater than: Each domino half in this section must total more than the indicated number.
If a section lacks color coding, it signifies that there are no restrictions on the domino portions within those areas.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 16 Pips

Less Than (3): All items in this area must be below 3. The solution is 2-3, oriented vertically.
Equal (3): All elements in this area must equal 3. The solution is 3-3, oriented vertically; 2-3, oriented vertically.
Equal (1): All components in this area must be equal to 1. The solution is 1-1, oriented vertically; 1-5, oriented vertically.
Greater Than (10): All items in this area must exceed 10. 5-2, oriented vertically; 1-5, oriented vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 16 Pips

Number (6): All numbers in this area must sum to 6. The solution is 2-6, oriented vertically; 4-1, oriented horizontally.
Number (2): All numbers in this area must equal 2. The solution is 4-1, oriented horizontally; 1-6, oriented horizontally.
Number (10): All components in this area must total 10. The solution is 1-6, oriented horizontally; 4-3, oriented horizontally; 4-3, oriented horizontally.
Equal (3): All items in this area must equal 3. The solution is 4-3, oriented horizontally; 3-5, oriented vertically.
Number (6): All numbers in this space must sum to 6. The solution is 2-6, oriented vertically.
Number (11): All components in this area must equal 11. The solution is 3-5, oriented vertically; 6-5, oriented vertically.
Number (2): All items in this area must equal 2. The solution is 2-1, oriented vertically.
Number (5): All elements in this area must sum to 5. The solution is 6-5, oriented vertically.

Greater Than (5): All numbers in this area must be above 5. 6-4, oriented horizontally.
Less Than (5): All components in this area must be below 5. The solution is 6-4, oriented horizontally.
Number (5): All items in this area must total 5. The solution is 5-5, oriented horizontally.
Number (5): All elements in this area must sum to 5. The solution is 5-5, oriented horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 16 Pips

Number (1): All items in this section must total 1. The solution is 1-4, oriented vertically.
Number (2): All components in this area must equal 2. The solution is 2-3, oriented vertically.
Number (9): All items in this area must sum to 9. The solution is 1-4, oriented vertically; 5-0, oriented vertically.
Number (3): All components in this area must equal 3. The solution is…