Pips Answer for Monday, May 4, 2026
Complete NYT Pips puzzle solution with interactive board and expert analysis for Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels.
Reveal by clicking a domino below OR a cell on the board
Expert Puzzle Analysis
Deep insights from puzzle experts
Warming Up With Your Morning Coffee
Nyt Pips easy answer for 2026-05-04
Answer for 2026-05-04
Starting today's easy puzzle was a nice way to wake up. I always like to scan for the biggest numbers first, and that sum of 17 in the third column really jumped out at me. Since there were only three spots to make 17, I knew I had to use some of the highest pips available. I looked at the dominoes and saw the 4-6 and the 3-6. By putting a 6 in cell (2,3) and another 6 in cell (3,3), I only needed a 5 to finish the sum. Luckily, the 5 from the 5-1 domino fit perfectly at (1,3).
Once that big sum was done, the rest of the pieces fell into place like magic. I saw that cell (2,4) had to be greater than 3, and since it was paired with the 6 at (2,3), the 4 from that same 4-6 domino worked perfectly there. I then used the 1-1 domino to fill the L-shaped region that needed to sum up to 4, placing them at (1,2) and (2,2). Finally, I tucked the 2-1 domino into the bottom left corner, using the empty spot at (2,0) for the 2 and putting the 1 at (2,1). It was a smooth start to the day!
Stepping Up the Challenge Just a Bit
Nyt Pips medium answer for 2026-05-04
Answer for 2026-05-04
The medium puzzle today had some really interesting equal regions that made me stop and think. I started by looking at the left side where cells (1,0) and (2,0) had to add up to more than 10. That's a huge total for just two spots! I looked at my dominoes and saw two that had a 6 on them: the 6-3 and the 6-0. I placed the 6 from the 6-0 at (2,0) and the 6 from the 6-3 at (1,0), which gave me exactly 12. This left the 0 and the 3 to be placed in the nearby empty and sum regions.
Moving into the center, the equals regions were the real stars. Cells (1,3), (1,4), and (2,4) all had to be the same number. I looked at what I had left and realized that the 4s from the 4-3 and 4-1 dominoes could work, or maybe the 3s. I eventually saw that the 1-1 domino was needed for the sum of 2 at the very top, which helped me narrow down the middle. I finished it off by placing the 2-2 domino near the center to satisfy the equals constraint there. It felt like a giant game of logic dominoes!
The Ultimate Brain Teaser for Monday
Nyt Pips hard answer for 2026-05-04
Answer for 2026-05-04
Wow, today's hard puzzle was a real workout! There were so many small sums of 4 and 5 that it felt like every move had to be perfect. My breakthrough moment came when I looked at the bottom left corner. Cells (5,0), (6,0), and (7,0) all had to be equal. I scanned my domino list and saw that I could use the 5s from the 5-0 and 5-4 dominoes to make that happen. Once I locked those 5s into place, the bottom of the grid finally started to make sense.
The trickiest part was definitely the top section with the equals region across (1,0), (1,1), and (1,2). I had to try a few different combinations before I realized they all had to be 1s. This allowed me to use the 1-1 domino and parts of the 1-3 and 1-5 dominoes to fill the gaps. The greater than 5 clues at the top right also helped guide me to use the 6-6 and 6-4 pieces effectively. It took a lot of patience, but finally seeing that last domino slide into place was so rewarding!
Pro Tips for Today's Puzzle
Always look for the regions with the highest or lowest target sums first because they have the fewest possible pip combinations.
If you see an equals region, count how many of each number you have in your domino list to see which ones could actually fit. Don't be afraid to leave a tricky section and work on a different corner of the board; often, solving one side will give you the hint you need for the other.
What I Learned
Today I really noticed how important the empty cell clues are. They might seem like they just get in the way, but they actually act as great anchors that prevent certain dominoes from being placed in those spots. It really narrows down your choices much faster than you'd expect.
I also learned that in the hard puzzles, the equals constraints are often linked. Solving one set of equal cells often forces a specific domino into another equals region nearby. It's like a chain reaction where one right move clears up three or four other spots instantly!