Today’s NYT Pips puzzle is live for April 21, 2026, and whether you’re breezing through Easy or hitting a wall on Hard, this guide walks you through every color-coded zone — hint first, full answer below. No spoilers until you’re ready.
What Is NYT Pips?
Pips is a domino-placement puzzle from the New York Times, released in August 2025. Each puzzle presents a grid of color-coded zones, and your job is to place domino tiles so that every zone’s condition is satisfied. Tiles can be placed vertically or horizontally and must connect with adjacent tiles — but unlike traditional dominoes, touching halves don’t need to match.
Each color zone carries one of several rule types:
- Number: All pips within this zone must add up to the stated number.
- Equal: Every domino half in this zone must show the same pip count.
- Does Not Equal: Every domino half in this zone must show a different pip count.
- Less Than / Greater Than: Every domino half must be below or above the stated number.
- No color: No condition applies to domino halves in that space.
If you’re stuck, the game only offers a full reveal — which wipes your progress and forces you to restart the level. That’s where this guide comes in.
Easy Difficulty — April 21, 2026 Pips Hints and Answers
Purple zone — Number (17) Hint: You need two vertically placed tiles whose pips total 17. Think high numbers. Answer: 6-5, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.
Red zone — Number (9) Hint: A mix of horizontal and vertical tiles that add up to 9. One tile is a double. Answer: 4-4, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically.
Light Blue zone — Number (0) Hint: Everything in this zone must total zero. Only blanks will do. Answer: 6-0, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically.
Yellow zone — Less Than (6) Hint: The domino half here needs fewer than 6 pips — just one tile is involved. Answer: 0-5, placed vertically.
Medium Difficulty — April 21, 2026 Pips Hints and Answers
Purple zone — Equal (2) Hint: Both domino halves here must show exactly 2 pips. Answer: 2-5, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.
Red zone — Number (8) Hint: Three tiles contribute to this zone’s total of 8. Answer: 2-5, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.
Light Blue zone — Less Than (2) Hint: The half in this zone must be 0 or 1. Answer: 0-1, placed horizontally.
Yellow zone — Number (8) Hint: Two vertical tiles whose halves total 8. Answer: 2-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically.
Dark Blue zone — Number (1) Hint: Just one pip needed in this small zone. Answer: 1-6, placed horizontally.
Green zone — Equal (6) Hint: Every half in this zone must be a 6. Think doubles territory. Answer: 1-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.
Purple zone (second) — Number (5) Hint: Two tiles, totaling 5. Answer: 4-5, placed vertically; 0-2, placed horizontally.
Red zone (second) — Equal (2) Hint: All halves must be 2 pips — a second equal zone for this difficulty. Answer: 0-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Hard Difficulty — April 21, 2026 Pips Hints and Answers
Purple zone — Equal (4) Hint: Every half touching this zone must show exactly 4 pips. Answer: 4-0, placed vertically; 4-1, placed horizontally.
Red zone — Equal (1) Hint: Both halves must be 1 pip. Answer: 4-1, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed vertically.
Light Blue zone — Number (4) Hint: One tile, four pips total. Answer: 4-4, placed vertically.
Yellow zone — Does Not Equal Hint: Every domino half must be a different value — five tiles, all unique halves. Answer: 4-0, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically; 2-3, placed vertically.
Dark Blue zone — Number (6) Hint: The half in this zone must be a 6. Answer: 6-6, placed vertically.
Green zone — Number (0) Hint: Zero pips for this half. Answer: 1-0, placed vertically.
Purple zone (second) — Number (12) Hint: Two tiles add up to 12. Answer: 3-4, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.
Red zone (second) — Less Than (2) Hint: The half here must be 0 or 1. Answer: 1-1, placed vertically.
Light Blue zone (second) — Number (10) Hint: Two vertical tiles totaling 10. Answer: 5-5, placed vertically; 5-4, placed vertically.
Dark Blue zone (second) — Number (9) Hint: A vertical and horizontal tile share this zone, totaling 9. Answer: 5-4, placed vertically; 5-3, placed horizontally.
Green zone (second) — Number (6) Hint: Two horizontal tiles whose pips in this zone add up to 6. Answer: 5-3, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed horizontally.
Yellow zone (second) — Number (12) Hint: Two tiles across vertical and horizontal placement, totaling 12. Answer: 5-6, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.
More Daily Puzzle Help
Looking for more puzzle solutions today? Check out these guides:
- April 20, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers
- April 19, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers
- April 18, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers
- April 20, 2026 Wordle #1766 Hint and Answer
- April 20, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1044 Hints and Answers
- April 20, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword Hints and Answers
Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.
