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NYT Pips Answers for July 1, 2026

NYT Pips answers for July 1, 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 28-square hard one, a gap of 18 squares, with the hard board carrying 5 doubles against easy's 2 and 4 loose regions against 6. 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 2 sum regions 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.

75% 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 = 11 region — the middle centre 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 2 doubles: 1-1, 6-6. 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 = 11 region resolves to 5, 6. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, July 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
no rulethe top left single square6
> 2the top centre single square4
no rulethe top right single square0
= 3the middle left row of 22, 1
no rulethe middle centre single square5
= 11the middle centre row of 26, 5
< 5the bottom centre single square1
> 4the bottom centre single square6

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 3 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.

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 = 2 region — the middle left single square — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 2. 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: 6-6. 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 = 2 region resolves to 2. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, July 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
> 3the top centre single square5
=the middle centre 3-square block4, 4, 4
= 5the middle centre column of 23, 2
> 3the middle right single square5
= 2the middle centre column of 30, 1, 1
= 2the middle left single square2
=the middle centre 3-square block6, 6, 6
no rulethe bottom left single square6
no rulethe bottom centre single square3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 28 squares, 14 dominoes

A 6-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 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.

The tray holds 5 doubles against a typical 3.11. 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 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 5 doubles: 1-1, 4-4, 0-0, 6-6, 2-2. With 1 all-different and 1 all-equal region 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 = 4 region resolves to 4. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, July 1, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 8the top left row of 25, 3
= 4the top centre single square4
= 9the middle left column of 26, 3
=the middle centre column of 22, 2
= 0the middle centre single square0
> 9the middle left column of 26, 6
> 9the middle centre row of 26, 6
= 2the middle centre column of 20, 2
= 2the middle centre column of 21, 1
≠the middle centre 6-square block5, 3, 2, 4, 6, 1
= 2the middle left column of 20, 2
< 2the middle centre single square1
= 4the bottom centre row of 20, 4
= 4the bottom centre single square4

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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 July 1, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. A 6-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 July 1, 2026 the hard board runs 28 squares across 14 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 8, 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.

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