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NYT Pips Answers for October 22, 2025

NYT Pips answers for October 22, 2025, a Wednesday: hints first, then the full solution for the easy, medium and hard boards. Take the hints in order and stop when you have enough — nothing below is revealed until you open it.

Today's set runs from an 8-square easy board to a 20-square hard one, a gap of 12 squares, with the hard board carrying 1 double against easy's 1 and 5 loose regions against 1. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 8 squares, 4 dominoes

Almost every region here is an exact sum, which makes this an unusually arithmetic board: there is very little elimination to do and a great deal of adding up.

At 8 squares this is 19% smaller than the average easy board, which runs 9.9. A smaller grid is more forgiving: a bad tile is fewer undos away from being fixed.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 6 region — the middle left column of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 6. Work there first because it is the most constrained region on the board, with 4 possible fillings.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 0-0. Neither all-equal nor all-different regions appear today, so the doubles are unusually free — place them last.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 6 region resolves to 1, 5. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, October 22, 2025
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 5the top left row of 24, 0
= 5the top centre 4-square block0, 2, 0, 3
= 6the middle left column of 21, 5

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 2-3 → row 2 col 3 and row 3 col 3
  • 5-0 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
  • 4-1 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
  • 0-0 → row 1 col 2 and row 1 col 3

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Medium — 24 squares, 12 dominoes

Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 1 sum region have to carry the whole board.

At 24 squares this is 62% larger than the average medium board, which runs 14.8. More squares means more placements to keep straight at once, and a mistake made early sits underneath more correct-looking work before you find it.

The tray holds 3 doubles against a typical 1.79. Doubles are the most constrained tiles you can be dealt, so this board hands you more forced placements than usual — an advantage, if you look for them first.

Its tightest sum target is 30, against a median of 5 across every board published. A high target forces large values into a small space, which narrows the options just as sharply from the other direction.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 30 region — the middle left 5-square block — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 30. Work there first because exactly one combination of values can fill it, so it is fully forced before you place anything.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 3 doubles: 1-1, 6-6, 2-2. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 5 here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 30 region resolves to 6, 6, 6, 6, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, October 22, 2025
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 5the top left single square4
no rulethe top centre single square5
=the top centre 4-square block1, 1, 1, 1
no rulethe middle left single square0
no rulethe middle centre single square2
=the middle left column of 42, 2, 2, 2
=the middle right column of 23, 3
=the middle right column of 20, 0
= 30the middle left 5-square block6, 6, 6, 6, 6
=the middle centre row of 24, 4
no rulethe bottom right single square5

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 6-4 → row 7 col 2 and row 7 col 3
  • 4-5 → row 1 col 1 and row 1 col 2
  • 1-1 → row 1 col 3 and row 1 col 4
  • 1-2 → row 2 col 3 and row 2 col 2
  • 6-6 → row 8 col 1 and row 8 col 2
  • 2-2 → row 4 col 1 and row 5 col 1
  • 2-0 → row 3 col 1 and row 2 col 1
  • 6-5 → row 8 col 3 and row 8 col 4
  • 1-3 → row 2 col 4 and row 3 col 4
  • 0-4 → row 6 col 4 and row 7 col 4
  • 0-3 → row 5 col 4 and row 4 col 4
  • 6-2 → row 7 col 1 and row 6 col 1

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Hard — 20 squares, 10 dominoes

Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 5 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 20 squares this is 23% smaller than the average hard board, which runs 26.1. A smaller grid is more forgiving: a bad tile is fewer undos away from being fixed.

45% of its regions are loose against a norm of 29%, so this board is vaguer than usual — there is less exact arithmetic to anchor on and more reasoning by elimination.

The tray holds 1 double against a typical 3.11. Doubles are the most constrained tiles you can be dealt, so you get fewer of the free constraints doubles normally provide, and have to find your footholds elsewhere.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the < 1 region — the top right single square — where the pips in this region must add up to less than 1. Work there first because exactly one combination of values can fill it, so it is fully forced before you place anything.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 2-2. With 1 all-different and 1 all-equal region on the board, those doubles are barred from the former and are the only tiles that fit wholly inside the latter — which usually pins two of them before you make a real decision.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The < 1 region resolves to 0. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, October 22, 2025
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top centre single square1
< 1the top right single square0
≠the middle centre row of 23, 4
= 10the middle centre column of 25, 5
= 12the middle right column of 26, 6
> 3the middle left single square4
= 6the middle centre 4-square block2, 2, 0, 2
= 8the middle left column of 25, 3
= 11the middle centre column of 26, 5
=the middle right column of 21, 1
no rulethe bottom left single square2

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 6-4 → row 3 col 4 and row 2 col 4
  • 0-1 → row 1 col 4 and row 1 col 3
  • 5-4 → row 6 col 1 and row 5 col 1
  • 2-3 → row 8 col 1 and row 7 col 1
  • 2-2 → row 5 col 3 and row 5 col 4
  • 6-0 → row 7 col 3 and row 6 col 3
  • 5-3 → row 3 col 3 and row 2 col 3
  • 5-1 → row 8 col 3 and row 8 col 4
  • 5-6 → row 4 col 3 and row 4 col 4
  • 1-2 → row 7 col 4 and row 6 col 4

Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.

Questions about this day

What is the answer to NYT Pips on October 22, 2025?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. Two or more regions carry no rule at all today, which sounds generous and is not: unconstrained squares give you nothing to reason from, so the 5 sum regions have to carry the whole board.
Can I see a hint without seeing the whole answer?
Yes. Each difficulty has three hints in order — where to start, what your tray forces, then the values in the opening region — each behind its own disclosure, with the full solution last. Nothing is revealed until you open it.
Are these the official New York Times boards?
The puzzle data is the Times’ own, and this page reports and explains the solution. EnergyPips is not affiliated with The New York Times, and the boards are not reproduced here to play — to play, go to the Times. To play a free daily domino puzzle of our own, the rest of this site is that.
Why is the hard board harder than the easy one?
On October 22, 2025 the hard board runs 20 squares across 11 regions against the easy board’s 8 and 3, and carries 5 regions that give you no exact number to work from.

About these answers

EnergyPips is an independent site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to The New York Times. This page reports and explains the solution to a published puzzle, constructed by Ian Livengood — the board itself is not reproduced here to play. To play it, go to the Times. To play a free daily domino puzzle of our own making, with a full archive, start here.

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