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NYT Pips Answers for April 22, 2026

NYT Pips answers for April 22, 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 20-square hard one, a gap of 10 squares, with the hard board carrying 1 double against easy's 0 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 = 1 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.

50% 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 0 doubles against a typical 1.33. 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 1, 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 = 1 region — the middle right single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 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

Your tray holds no doubles today, which removes the usual shortcut — nothing is barred from the all-different regions on shape alone. Total pips in the tray: 33.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

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

Full answer — easy board, April 22, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
> 3the top centre single square4
no rulethe middle centre single square1
= 20the middle left 4-square block5, 5, 5, 5
=the middle centre column of 22, 2
= 1the middle right single square1
> 2the bottom left single square3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Medium — 12 squares, 6 dominoes

A 12-square board across 7 regions, with 2 exact sums to anchor it and 2 looser regions to work around.

At 12 squares this is 19% smaller than the average medium board, which runs 14.8. A smaller grid is more forgiving: a bad tile is fewer undos away from being fixed.

29% of its regions are loose against a norm of 42%, so this board is tighter than usual — more regions hand you a number outright, which is why it may have felt unusually tractable.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the > 4 region — the bottom left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to more than 4. Work there first because only 2 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 4-4. A double is the only tile that fits wholly inside an all-equal region, and there are 3 here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The > 4 region resolves to 5. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, April 22, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
=the top left row of 24, 4
=the top centre row of 20, 0
< 3the middle left single square1
= 4the middle centre row of 22, 2
=the middle right column of 24, 4
> 4the bottom left single square5
= 4the bottom centre row of 23, 1

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 20 squares, 10 dominoes

A 20-square board across 11 regions, with 0 exact sums to anchor it and 5 looser regions to work around.

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 < 2 region — the middle centre column of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to less than 2. 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 are 6 here.

Hint 3 — the opening region's values

The < 2 region resolves to 0, 0. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, April 22, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
=the top left row of 21, 1
=the top centre 3-square block6, 6, 6
=the middle left column of 20, 0
< 2the middle centre column of 20, 0
no rulethe middle centre single square2
=the middle centre column of 24, 4
> 2the middle centre single square3
=the middle right column of 32, 2, 2
> 2the middle centre single square3
=the middle centre column of 23, 3
> 2the bottom centre single square5

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 0-1 → row 2 col 1 and row 1 col 1
  • 2-3 → row 3 col 7 and row 3 col 6
  • 6-0 → row 2 col 4 and row 2 col 5
  • 3-4 → row 4 col 4 and row 4 col 3
  • 1-6 → row 1 col 2 and row 1 col 3
  • 3-5 → row 5 col 5 and row 5 col 6
  • 0-2 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
  • 4-6 → row 3 col 3 and row 2 col 3
  • 2-2 → row 4 col 7 and row 5 col 7
  • 3-0 → row 4 col 5 and row 3 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 April 22, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. A 20-square board across 11 regions, with 0 exact sums to anchor it and 5 looser regions to work around.
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 22, 2026 the hard board runs 20 squares across 11 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 6, 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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