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NYT Pips Answers for June 1, 2026

NYT Pips answers for June 1, 2026, 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 a 10-square easy board to a 30-square hard one, a gap of 20 squares, with the hard board carrying 3 doubles against easy's 1 and 1 loose region against 3. Constructed by Ian Livengood.

Sukie, Puzzle editor at EnergyPips

By Sukie · Puzzle editor

Easy — 10 squares, 5 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 1 sum region have to carry the whole board.

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.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the = 3 region — the top centre 3-square block — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3. Work there first because only 3 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 1 double: 1-1. 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 = 3 region resolves to 1, 1, 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, June 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 3the top centre 3-square block1, 1, 1
< 5the top right single square4
=the middle right column of 23, 3
=the middle centre column of 22, 2
no rulethe middle centre single square5
no rulethe bottom left single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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.

The tray holds 4 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 = 12 region — the middle right column 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 4 doubles: 3-3, 1-1, 5-5, 6-6. 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 = 12 region resolves to 6, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, June 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top left single square3
≠the top centre 6-square block3, 1, 5, 4, 0, 6
= 2the middle left column of 21, 1
= 10the middle left row of 25, 5
= 12the middle right column of 26, 6
no rulethe bottom left single square0
= 2the bottom centre row of 21, 1

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 30 squares, 15 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 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.

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 = 1 region — the middle left 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

The tray carries 3 doubles: 2-2, 4-4, 0-0. With 1 all-different and 2 all-equal regions 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 = 1 region resolves to 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, June 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 0the top left row of 20, 0
≠the top centre 4-square block2, 3, 4, 1
=the top centre 4-square block4, 4, 4, 4
= 10the middle left row of 25, 5
= 1the middle left single square1
= 0the middle centre single square0
= 10the middle right column of 25, 5
= 3the middle left single square3
= 6the middle centre single square6
= 2the middle left column of 21, 1
=the middle centre 5-square block2, 2, 2, 2, 2
= 3the bottom left single square3
= 0the bottom centre row of 30, 0, 0
= 4the bottom right single square4

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 5-0 → row 2 col 1 and row 1 col 1
  • 2-2 → row 6 col 3 and row 6 col 4
  • 4-0 → row 2 col 4 and row 3 col 4
  • 1-6 → row 3 col 3 and row 4 col 3
  • 4-4 → row 1 col 4 and row 1 col 5
  • 0-3 → row 7 col 2 and row 7 col 1
  • 2-5 → row 5 col 5 and row 4 col 5
  • 1-3 → row 5 col 1 and row 4 col 1
  • 0-0 → row 7 col 3 and row 7 col 4
  • 1-2 → row 6 col 1 and row 6 col 2
  • 3-5 → row 2 col 3 and row 2 col 2
  • 2-0 → row 1 col 3 and row 1 col 2
  • 5-4 → row 3 col 5 and row 2 col 5
  • 1-4 → row 3 col 1 and row 3 col 2
  • 4-2 → row 7 col 5 and row 6 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 June 1, 2026?
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 June 1, 2026 the hard board runs 30 squares across 14 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 6, and carries 1 region 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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