Pips Answer for Thursday, November 6, 2025
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis.
Click a domino below or a cell on the board to reveal
Expert Puzzle Analysis
Deep insights from puzzle experts
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2025-11-06
Answer for 2025-11-06
I started with the Easy puzzle by looking at the target sums in the tiny grid. The sum of 0 for cells (1,1) and (1,2) was a dead giveaway that those two cells had to be the 0-0 half of a domino or two zeros from different ones.
Once I placed the zeros, the rest of the 3x3 grid fell into place by matching the remaining dominoes—[1,4], [0,3], [4,3], and [1,0]—to the target sums of 6, 8, and 2. Moving to the
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2025-11-06
Answer for 2025-11-06
Medium puzzle, I focused on the 'equals' regions. Since these regions require all cells within them to have the same value, they act as massive anchors.
I looked for dominoes that could bridge these regions while satisfying the 'less than' constraints. The [1,1] and [0,0] dominoes were key here because they fit perfectly into the restricted spots.
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2025-11-06
Answer for 2025-11-06
For the Hard puzzle, the strategy was all about the 11 dominoes and the complex 'equals' blocks. I scanned the board for the 'empty' cells first to see what I couldn't use, then I tackled the 'greater than 4' region at (4,3).
Knowing that cell had to be a 5 or 6 helped me narrow down which dominoes from the set—like [3,5] or [4,5]—could actually reach that spot. I worked from the corners inward, making sure that every time I placed a domino, the 'equals' regions (like the one spanning four cells) still had a valid number available in the remaining pool. It took a bit of backtracking when I realized I used the [2,2] domino too early, but once I swapped it, the whole board cleared up.
What I Learned
This set really highlighted how 'equals' regions are actually easier than they look because they limit your choices so much. I learned that in the Hard puzzle, the 'empty' cells are just as important as the numbers because they force the dominoes into specific orientations.
A tricky move I found was in the Medium puzzle where I had to save the [2,6] domino for a specific spot because no other domino had a high enough value to satisfy the neighboring regions. I also noticed a pattern where the editor, Ian Livengood, likes to place the lowest value dominoes near the center to make the 'equals' constraints more challenging.