NYT Pips Answers for May 21, 2026
NYT Pips answers for May 21, 2026, a Thursday: 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 30-square hard one, a gap of 20 squares, with the hard board carrying 0 doubles against easy's 3 and 2 loose regions against 2. Constructed by Ian Livengood.
By Sukie · Puzzle editor
Easy — 10 squares, 5 dominoes
3 doubles in a 5-tile tray is a lot, and doubles are the most constrained tiles you can be dealt. Placing them first is not a preference today, it is the route through.
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.
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 > 5 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to more than 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 3 doubles: 6-6, 2-2, 3-3. 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 > 5 region resolves to 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.
Full answer — easy board, May 21, 2026
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| > 5 | the top left single square | 6 |
| > 5 | the top right single square | 6 |
| = 8 | the middle left column of 2 | 5, 3 |
| = 8 | the middle right column of 2 | 6, 2 |
| = 5 | the bottom centre row of 2 | 3, 2 |
| = 6 | the bottom centre row of 2 | 4, 2 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 4-2 → row 3 col 4 and row 3 col 3
- 6-5 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
- 6-6 → row 1 col 6 and row 2 col 6
- 2-2 → row 3 col 5 and row 3 col 6
- 3-3 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.
Medium — 14 squares, 7 dominoes
The = 2 region is the giveaway: a target that low forces blanks and ones, and almost nothing else fits.
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.
25% 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.
The tray holds 0 doubles against a typical 1.79. 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 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 = 3 region — the bottom left 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
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: 41.
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 — medium board, May 21, 2026
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| = 2 | the top centre column of 2 | 0, 2 |
| < 2 | the top centre single square | 1 |
| = 6 | the middle centre column of 3 | 0, 2, 4 |
| = | the middle centre column of 2 | 6, 6 |
| = | the middle centre column of 2 | 5, 5 |
| = | the middle centre column of 2 | 3, 3 |
| = 3 | the bottom left single square | 3 |
| < 2 | the bottom right single square | 1 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 3-5 → row 7 col 1 and row 7 col 2
- 6-3 → row 5 col 3 and row 6 col 3
- 1-0 → row 1 col 3 and row 1 col 2
- 1-3 → row 7 col 4 and row 7 col 3
- 6-2 → row 4 col 3 and row 4 col 2
- 4-5 → row 5 col 2 and row 6 col 2
- 0-2 → row 3 col 2 and row 2 col 2
Rows and columns are counted from the top-left of the board, starting at 1.
Hard — 30 squares, 15 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 26 sum regions have to carry the whole board.
At 30 squares this is 15% larger than the average hard board, which runs 26.1. 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.
7% of its regions are loose against a norm of 29%, so this board is tighter than usual — more regions hand you a number outright, which is why it may have felt unusually tractable.
The tray holds 0 doubles 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 = 0 region — the top left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 0. 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: 75.
Hint 3 — the opening region's values
The = 0 region resolves to 0. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.
Full answer — hard board, May 21, 2026
| Region | Where | Values |
|---|---|---|
| = 0 | the top left single square | 0 |
| = 2 | the top centre single square | 2 |
| = 1 | the top centre single square | 1 |
| = 5 | the top centre single square | 5 |
| = 4 | the top centre single square | 4 |
| = 5 | the top right single square | 5 |
| = 4 | the middle left single square | 4 |
| = 4 | the middle centre single square | 4 |
| = 3 | the middle centre single square | 3 |
| = 0 | the middle centre single square | 0 |
| = | the middle centre row of 2 | 3, 3 |
| = 2 | the middle left single square | 2 |
| = 2 | the middle centre single square | 2 |
| = 0 | the middle centre single square | 0 |
| = 1 | the middle centre single square | 1 |
| = 4 | the middle centre single square | 4 |
| = 0 | the middle right single square | 0 |
| = 0 | the middle left single square | 0 |
| = 3 | the middle centre single square | 3 |
| = 2 | the middle centre single square | 2 |
| = 4 | the middle centre single square | 4 |
| = 1 | the middle centre single square | 1 |
| = 2 | the middle right single square | 2 |
| no rule | the bottom left single square | 3 |
| no rule | the bottom centre single square | 5 |
| = 1 | the bottom centre single square | 1 |
| = 5 | the bottom centre single square | 5 |
| = 1 | the bottom centre single square | 1 |
| = 5 | the bottom right single square | 5 |
Every tile and the squares it covers
- 0-1 → row 3 col 3 and row 3 col 4
- 0-2 → row 4 col 1 and row 3 col 1
- 0-3 → row 3 col 6 and row 2 col 6
- 0-4 → row 1 col 1 and row 2 col 1
- 0-5 → row 2 col 4 and row 1 col 4
- 1-2 → row 5 col 3 and row 4 col 3
- 1-3 → row 1 col 3 and row 2 col 3
- 1-4 → row 4 col 5 and row 4 col 4
- 1-5 → row 5 col 5 and row 5 col 4
- 2-3 → row 3 col 2 and row 4 col 2
- 2-4 → row 1 col 2 and row 2 col 2
- 2-5 → row 4 col 6 and row 5 col 6
- 3-4 → row 2 col 5 and row 3 col 5
- 3-5 → row 5 col 1 and row 5 col 2
- 4-5 → row 1 col 5 and row 1 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 May 21, 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 26 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 May 21, 2026 the hard board runs 30 squares across 29 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 6, and carries 2 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.