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NYT Pips Answers for August 31, 2026

NYT Pips answers for August 31, 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 28-square hard one, a gap of 18 squares, with the hard board carrying 5 doubles against easy's 1 and 1 loose region against 2. 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 0 exact sums to anchor it and 2 looser regions 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.

Hint 1 — where to start

Start with the < 3 region — the bottom right single square — where the pips in this region must add up to less than 3. Work there first because only 3 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 < 3 region resolves to 1. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — easy board, August 31, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
< 4the top left single square3
=the top centre column of 25, 5
=the middle centre row of 26, 6
=the middle centre 4-square block4, 4, 4, 4
< 3the bottom right single square1

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 5-6 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 3
  • 3-5 → row 1 col 1 and row 1 col 2
  • 4-4 → row 3 col 2 and row 3 col 3
  • 4-1 → row 4 col 3 and row 4 col 4
  • 4-6 → row 3 col 4 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 2 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 = 3 region — the top right column of 2 — where the pips in this region must add up to exactly 3. Work there first because only 2 combinations of values can fill it.

Hint 2 — what your tray forces

The tray carries 2 doubles: 4-4, 5-5. 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 = 3 region resolves to 0, 3. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — medium board, August 31, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
=the top centre row of 24, 4
> 3the top centre single square4
= 3the top right column of 23, 0
=the middle centre column of 21, 1
> 7the middle centre column of 25, 6
= 4the middle left column of 22, 2
=the middle centre column of 25, 5
< 4the bottom left single square3

Every tile and the squares it covers

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

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

Hard — 28 squares, 14 dominoes

5 doubles in a 14-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 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.

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 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 = 2 region — the top centre 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 5 doubles: 6-6, 5-5, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3. 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 = 2 region resolves to 2. Which half of which domino supplies each is still yours to work out.

Full answer — hard board, August 31, 2026
How each region resolves.
RegionWhereValues
= 2the top centre single square2
= 10the top centre row of 26, 4
= 10the top centre row of 25, 5
=the top right column of 22, 2
= 0the middle left single square0
=the middle centre row of 53, 3, 3, 3, 3
no rulethe middle left single square2
= 12the middle centre row of 26, 6
= 4the middle centre single square4
= 12the middle centre row of 26, 6
= 8the middle left column of 23, 5
= 5the middle right single square5
=the bottom centre row of 24, 4
= 2the bottom centre single square2
=the bottom centre row of 31, 1, 1

Every tile and the squares it covers

  • 2-3 → row 3 col 1 and row 4 col 1
  • 3-0 → row 2 col 2 and row 2 col 1
  • 6-2 → row 1 col 3 and row 1 col 2
  • 6-6 → row 3 col 6 and row 3 col 7
  • 5-5 → row 1 col 5 and row 1 col 6
  • 2-4 → row 5 col 4 and row 5 col 3
  • 3-4 → row 2 col 4 and row 1 col 4
  • 6-3 → row 3 col 3 and row 2 col 3
  • 4-5 → row 5 col 2 and row 5 col 1
  • 1-1 → row 5 col 5 and row 5 col 6
  • 2-2 → row 1 col 7 and row 2 col 7
  • 4-6 → row 3 col 5 and row 3 col 4
  • 5-1 → row 4 col 7 and row 5 col 7
  • 3-3 → row 2 col 5 and row 2 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 August 31, 2026?
The full solution for all three boards is on this page, below the hints. 5 doubles in a 14-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.
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 August 31, 2026 the hard board runs 28 squares across 15 regions against the easy board’s 10 and 5, 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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