Pips is the NYT’s domino-based daily puzzle, and today’s April 25 edition covers all three difficulty levels. Whether you’re stuck on Easy, Medium, or Hard, the complete solutions are broken down below — zone by zone, tile by tile.
What Is NYT Pips?
Pips is a single-player domino placement puzzle released by the New York Times in August 2025. Each puzzle presents a grid divided into color-coded zones, and your job is to place domino tiles so that every zone’s condition is satisfied.
The key rule: tiles are placed either vertically or horizontally, and only the portion of the tile inside a colored zone needs to meet that zone’s condition. A domino can straddle two zones, so only half the tile may be subject to a given rule.
Here are the condition types you’ll encounter:
- Number (N): All pip values in this zone must add up to N.
- Equal: Every domino half inside this zone must show the same pip count.
- Not Equal: Every domino half inside this zone must show a different pip count.
- Less Than (N): Every domino half in this zone must be less than N.
- Greater Than (N): Every domino half in this zone must be greater than N.
Zones with no color coding have no conditions — you can place tiles there freely. The game currently does not offer partial hints; if you reveal the answer, you’re forced to skip to the next difficulty. That’s where this guide comes in.
Easy Difficulty Hints and Answers — April 25, 2026
The Easy puzzle uses straightforward single-condition zones and relatively few tiles.
Purple zone — Greater Than (4): The domino half here must exceed 4 pips. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.
Red zone — Equal (3): Every domino half in this zone must show exactly 3 pips. The answer is 3-1 (vertical), 3-3 (horizontal), and 3-5 (vertical).
Light blue zone — Equal (1): Every half inside must show 1 pip. The answer is 6-1 (vertical), 3-1 (vertical), and 1-1 (horizontal).
Yellow zone — Less Than (6): The domino half here must be fewer than 6 pips. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.
Medium Difficulty Hints and Answers — April 25, 2026
Medium introduces more overlapping zones and tiles that span multiple conditions simultaneously.
Purple zone — Equal (1): Every half must show 1 pip. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Red zone — Number (6): The domino half here must total 6 pips. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.
Light blue zone — Greater Than (0): The half inside must have more than 0 pips. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.
Yellow zone — Number (6): Everything in this zone must add up to 6. The answer is 2-2 (horizontal) and 4-3 (vertical).
Dark blue zone — Number (6): Everything must total 6. The answer is 3-0 (vertical) and 4-3 (vertical).
Green zone — Number (6): Same total requirement. The answer is 3-0 (vertical) and 4-3 (vertical).
Purple zone (second) — Less Than (4): Everything must sum to less than 4. The answer is 4-2 (vertical) and 3-0 (vertical).
Hard Difficulty Hints and Answers — April 25, 2026
Hard introduces multiple overlapping zones and tiles that must satisfy more than one condition at once. Work through each zone carefully before placing tiles.
Purple zone — Number (5): Everything must total 5. The answer is 1-1 (horizontal), 2-0 (vertical), and 1-4 (vertical).
Red zone — Equal (0): Every half must show 0 pips. The answer is 2-0 (vertical), 6-0 (horizontal), and 3-0 (horizontal).
Light blue zone — Number (10): Everything must add up to 10. The answer is 1-4 (vertical) and 6-0 (horizontal).
Yellow zone — Greater Than (1): The half here must exceed 1 pip. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.
Dark blue zone — Equal (5): Every half must show exactly 5 pips. The answer is 2-5 (horizontal), 5-5 (horizontal), 5-0 (vertical), and 5-1 (horizontal).
Green zone — Number (7): Everything must total 7. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.
Purple zone (second) — Greater Than (0): The half here must show more than 0 pips. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally.
Red zone (second) — Equal (0): Every half must show 0 pips. The answer is 5-0 (vertical) and 0-4 (horizontal).
Blue zone — Equal (4): Every half must show exactly 4 pips. The answer is 0-4 (horizontal) and 4-4 (vertical).
Tips for Solving NYT Pips Faster
Start with the most restrictive zones. Equal and Number conditions leave the least flexibility — identify which tiles can possibly satisfy them before placing anything.
Track shared tiles carefully. A single domino placed across two zones must satisfy both conditions simultaneously. Sketch out possibilities before committing.
Work Easy to Hard in order. Even if you’re aiming for Hard, solving Easy first gives you a feel for how tiles connect in today’s specific grid layout.
More Daily Puzzle Answers
Looking for help with other NYT puzzles today? Check out these recent guides on dotwordle.com:
- April 23, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers – Easy, Medium, and Hard Solutions
- April 22, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers – Easy, Medium, and Hard Solutions
- April 21, 2026 NYT Pips Hints and Answers – Easy, Medium, and Hard Solutions
- April 23, 2026 Wordle #1769 Hint and Answer
- April 23, 2026 NYT Connections Puzzle #1047 Hints and Answers
- Provinces of the Pantheon – April 23, 2026 NYT Strands 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.
