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NYT Pips Answers for January 21, 2026

NYT Pips answers for January 21, 2026, 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 a 10-square easy board to a 22-square hard one, a gap of 12 squares, with the hard board carrying 1 double against easy's 2 and 5 loose regions against 3. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 10 squares, 5 dominoes

The = 0 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.

At 10 squares this is a typical easy board — the average is 9.9 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

Its tightest sum target is 0, 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 = 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 2 doubles: 4-4, 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 = 4 region resolves to 4. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, January 21, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 4the top left single square4
no rulethe top centre single square4
> 7the top centre column of 25, 3
= 4the top right single square4
=the middle centre column of 22, 2
= 0the middle centre column of 20, 0
< 2the bottom centre single square1

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 16 squares, 8 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 4 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 16 squares this is a typical medium board — the average is 14.8 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 10 region — the middle centre row of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 10. Work there first because only 2 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 2-2. 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 = 10 region resolves to 4, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, January 21, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top left single square5
no rulethe top centre single square0
= 6the top centre column of 26, 0
= 4the middle left column of 20, 4
=the middle centre 4-square block2, 2, 2, 2
= 10the middle centre row of 24, 6
= 4the middle centre row of 23, 1
> 3the middle right column of 25, 3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 22 squares, 11 dominoes

The = 0 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.

At 22 squares this is 16% 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.

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.

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 centre 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 1 double: 0-0. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 4 here.

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, January 21, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
=the top centre column of 30, 0, 0
= 4the top centre single square4
=the top centre column of 22, 2
= 5the middle centre row of 24, 1
= 3the middle left column of 23, 0
< 2the middle centre single square0
> 4the middle centre single square6
> 0the middle centre single square1
= 4the middle centre row of 23, 1
=the middle centre row of 25, 5
=the middle centre column of 24, 4
> 4the bottom centre single square5
= 0the bottom centre single square0
> 4the bottom right single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 January 21, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. The = 0 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.
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 January 21, 2026 the hard board runs 22 squares across 14 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 7, 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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