NYT Pips Answers for December 15, 2025
NYT Pips answers for December 15, 2025, a Monday: 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 24-square hard one, a gap of 16 squares, with the hard board carrying 4 doubles against easy's 3 and 6 loose regions against 4. Constructed by Ian Livengood.
By Sukie · Puzzle editor
Easy — 8 squares, 4 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 0 sum regions have to carry the whole board.
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.
80% of its regions are loose against a norm of 40%, so this board is vaguer than usual — there is less exact arithmetic to anchor on and more reasoning by elimination.
The tray holds 3 doubles against a typical 1.33. 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.
Hint 1 — where to start
Start with the = region — the bottom centre row of 2 — where every pip value in this region must be the same. Work there first because it is the most constrained region on the board, with 7 possible fillings.
Hint 2 — what your tray forces
The tray carries 3 doubles: 2-2, 5-5, 0-0. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there is one here.
Hint 3 — the opening region's values
The = region resolves to 5, 5. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.
Full answer — easy board, December 15, 2025
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| no rule | the top left single square | 0 |
| no rule | the top right single square | 2 |
| < 5 | the middle left row of 2 | 0, 4 |
| > 6 | the middle centre row of 2 | 5, 2 |
| = | the bottom centre row of 2 | 5, 5 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 5-4 → row 3 col 2 and row 2 col 2
- 2-2 → row 1 col 4 and row 2 col 4
- 5-5 → row 2 col 3 and row 3 col 3
- 0-0 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.
Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes
A 6-square all-different region is the standout feature — with only seven pip values in existence, a region that size eliminates the overwhelming majority of combinations and is the fastest way into this medium board.
At 14 squares this is a typical medium board — the average is 14.8 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.
50% of its regions are loose against a norm of 42%, so this board is vaguer than usual — there is less exact arithmetic to anchor on and more reasoning by elimination.
The tray holds 5 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 2, against a median of 5 across every board published. A target that low forces blanks and low values, and is usually the fastest way in.
Hint 1 — where to start
Start with the = 5 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 5. 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 5 doubles: 3-3, 0-0, 5-5, 4-4, 2-2. No double can sit wholly inside an all-different region, and there is one on this board — so start by working out where they cannot go.
Hint 3 — the opening region's values
The = 5 region resolves to 5. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.
Full answer — medium board, December 15, 2025
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| = 5 | the top left single square | 5 |
| = 5 | the middle left row of 2 | 2, 3 |
| ≠ | the middle centre 6-square block | 3, 4, 0, 2, 5, 1 |
| > 3 | the middle centre single square | 4 |
| > 4 | the middle right single square | 6 |
| no rule | the bottom centre single square | 0 |
| = 2 | the bottom centre single square | 2 |
| = 5 | the bottom centre single square | 5 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 3-3 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 3
- 6-1 → row 3 col 6 and row 3 col 5
- 2-5 → row 2 col 1 and row 1 col 1
- 0-0 → row 3 col 2 and row 4 col 2
- 5-5 → row 3 col 4 and row 4 col 4
- 4-4 → row 2 col 4 and row 2 col 5
- 2-2 → row 3 col 3 and row 4 col 3
Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.
Hard — 24 squares, 12 dominoes
A 5-square all-different region is the standout feature — with only seven pip values in existence, a region that size eliminates the overwhelming majority of combinations and is the fastest way into this hard board.
At 24 squares this is a typical hard board — the average is 26.1 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.
38% 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.
Its tightest sum target is 0, against a median of 4 across every board published. A target that low forces blanks and low values, and is usually the fastest way in.
Hint 1 — where to start
Start with the = 4 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 4. 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 4 doubles: 5-5, 4-4, 0-0, 3-3. 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 = 4 region resolves to 4. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.
Full answer — hard board, December 15, 2025
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| = 4 | the top left single square | 4 |
| = 11 | the top centre row of 2 | 5, 6 |
| > 4 | the top right single square | 5 |
| = 3 | the middle left single square | 3 |
| ≠ | the middle centre 5-square block | 3, 4, 5, 0, 6 |
| = 4 | the middle right single square | 4 |
| = 5 | the middle left single square | 5 |
| = 2 | the middle left single square | 2 |
| = 1 | the middle right single square | 1 |
| no rule | the middle left single square | 3 |
| = 0 | the middle centre single square | 0 |
| = 4 | the middle left single square | 4 |
| > 5 | the middle centre single square | 6 |
| > 4 | the middle centre single square | 5 |
| < 3 | the middle right single square | 0 |
| = | the bottom left row of 4 | 3, 3, 3, 3 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 5-5 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
- 2-3 → row 4 col 1 and row 5 col 1
- 4-4 → row 2 col 3 and row 2 col 4
- 3-0 → row 7 col 4 and row 6 col 4
- 6-1 → row 4 col 3 and row 4 col 4
- 0-0 → row 4 col 2 and row 5 col 2
- 3-3 → row 2 col 1 and row 2 col 2
- 5-6 → row 1 col 4 and row 1 col 3
- 4-3 → row 6 col 1 and row 7 col 1
- 3-6 → row 7 col 2 and row 6 col 2
- 3-5 → row 7 col 3 and row 6 col 3
- 5-4 → row 1 col 2 and row 1 col 1
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 December 15, 2025?
- The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. A 5-square all-different region is the standout feature — with only seven pip values in existence, a region that size eliminates the overwhelming majority of combinations and is the fastest way into this hard 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 December 15, 2025 the hard board runs 24 squares across 16 regions against the easy board’s 8 and 5, and carries 6 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.
Keep reading
- The ≠ ruleWhy "not equal" constrains values, not dominoes.
- Hardest pips puzzlesWhat actually makes a board brutal, and how to attack one.
- Is there an NYT pips archive?Whether the official archive exists, and what to play meanwhile.
- What are pipsThe word itself: pips on dominoes, dice and playing cards, and how to count them.
Or go back to today's pips puzzle.