Skip to content
Pips

NYT Pips Answers for April 18, 2026

NYT Pips answers for April 18, 2026, a Saturday: 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 28-square hard one, a gap of 18 squares, with the hard board carrying 4 doubles against easy's 1 and 4 loose regions against 1. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 10 squares, 5 dominoes

A 10-square board across 5 regions, with 2 exact sums to anchor it and 1 looser region to work around.

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.

20% of its regions are loose against a norm of 40%, so this board is tighter than usual — more regions hand you a number outright, which is why it may have felt unusually tractable.

Its tightest sum target is 9, 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 = 11 region — the top left row of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 11. 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: 5-5. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 2 here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The = 11 region resolves to 5, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, April 18, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 11the top left row of 26, 5
= 9the top centre 3-square block5, 2, 2
no rulethe middle left single square3
=the middle right column of 23, 3
=the bottom centre row of 20, 0

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes

A 14-square board across 8 regions, with 5 exact sums to anchor it and 3 looser regions to work around.

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.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 12 region — the bottom centre row of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 12. 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: 0-0, 2-2. 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 = 12 region resolves to 6, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, April 18, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 7the top centre column of 20, 0
< 3the middle left single square2
= 6the middle centre row of 26, 0
= 8the middle left column of 24, 4
= 4the middle centre row of 22, 2
= 6the middle centre column of 24, 2
no rulethe middle right single square3
= 12the bottom centre row of 26, 6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 28 squares, 14 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 7 sum regions have to carry the whole board.

At 28 squares this is a typical hard board — the average is 26.1 — so nothing about its size explains an unusually long or short solve.

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 = 3 region — the top centre single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3. 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: 0-0, 5-5, 1-1, 4-4. 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 = 3 region resolves to 3. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, April 18, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 3the top centre single square3
= 0the top centre row of 20, 0
=the middle centre 4-square block5, 5, 5, 5
=the middle centre column of 24, 4
> 0the middle left single square1
= 0the middle centre single square0
no rulethe middle centre single square6
= 3the middle centre single square3
no rulethe middle left single square4
=the middle centre row of 22, 2
< 5the middle centre column of 41, 1, 1, 1
= 0the middle centre column of 20, 0
= 8the middle centre column of 22, 6
=the middle centre row of 24, 4
= 8the bottom centre row of 25, 3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 April 18, 2026?
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 7 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 April 18, 2026 the hard board runs 28 squares across 15 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 5, and carries 4 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

Or go back to today's pips puzzle.