NYT Pips hints, answers for January 21, 2026

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalog.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you get stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move to the next difficulty level and start again. However, we have what you need! Below you’ll find piecemeal answers that will serve as clues to help you navigate your way through each difficulty level.

How to play pips

If you’ve played dominoes before, you’ll have some familiarity with how Pips is played. As we shared in our previous Pips cheats stories, tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect to each other. The main difference between a traditional game of Dominoes and a game of Pips is the color-coded requirements you must meet. Tiles that touch do not necessarily have to match.

The conditions you must meet are specific to color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, each side of a tile in that space must match the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half of a tile to be in a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you will encounter across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Each half of a domino in this space must have the same number of pips.

• Not equal: Each half of a domino in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Each half of a domino in this space must total less than the number.

• Greater than: Each half of a domino in this space must total more than the number.

If an area has no color coding, this means that there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes in those spaces.

Easy Difficulty Tips, Answers for January 21 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally.

Greater than (7): Everything in this space must be greater than 7. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must equal 2. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Less than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty tips, answers for January 21 pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this purple space should add up to 10. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must equal 2. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Greater than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Hard Difficulty Tips, Answers for January 21 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must equal 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this red space must be 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, played vertically.

Greater than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Less than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must equal 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must equal 4. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Greater than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

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