NYT Pips Hints and Answers for Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026: Easy, Medium and Hard

Sunday’s Pips from The New York Times (NYT), Nov. 8, 2026, has four dead-end cells on the Easy board, enough to fix every domino’s position. Ian Livengood made Easy and Medium; Rodolfo Kurchan made Hard. Sunday’s Hard asks four cells to add up to 0, a rule our Pips page explains with the rest. Each placement in the answer section matches the Times’ data.

Where each Pips board starts on Nov. 8

Read cell names as row then column: R3C2 is the third row down, second column.

Easy. R1C1, R3C2, R1C6 and R3C5 each touch a single cell, so their dominoes are set, and R1C3 with R1C4 is the pair left over. R2C2 and R3C2 share a domino inside an equal region, so it must be a double: 6-6 or 2-2. With the 6-6 there, R1C2 would need the 6 of the 6-2, pushing its 2 into R1C1, which must be more than 4. So the 2-2 fills that column.

Medium. R1C3 and R1C4 must total 11, which takes a 5 and a 6, and the 5-2 holds the board’s only 5. That domino can’t lie inside the pair (it totals 7), so its 5 goes in R1C3 or R1C4 and its 2 spills into R1C2 or R1C5. Each of those sits in an equal pair with the cell below, which then needs a second 2, and only the 2-1 has one.

Hard. R4C3 touches only R3C3, and together they add up to 6. Two dominoes total 6 by themselves: the 1-5 and the 0-6. Using the 0-6 there would leave a single 6 for R1C4 and R2C1, which both must be 6. So the 1-5 covers R3C3 and R4C3.

Sunday’s three Pips boards side by side

Level	Dominoes	Regions	Sum	Equal	Not equal	Less or more than	No condition
Easy	5	6	2	1	0	2	1
Medium	8	10	5	2	0	2	1
Hard	15	16	11	2	0	3	0

Counts come from the Times’ data for Nov. 8. Medium has eight dominoes and ten regions, both more than Saturday’s Medium.

Sunday’s Pips hints, Nov. 8, 2026

Easy (five dominoes: 6-6, 2-3, 6-2, 2-2, 3-5)

• Hint 1

  R1C1 and R1C6 must each be more than 4, and the only values that high are 5 and 6.
• Hint 2

  R1C3 and R1C4 add up to 8 and share a domino. Two dominoes total 8 on their own: the 6-2 and the 3-5.

Medium (eight dominoes: 5-2, 4-0, 6-3, 6-1, 2-1, 1-1, 6-6, 1-4)

• Hint 1

  R2C1 and R4C6 must each be exactly 4. The 4-0 and the 1-4 are the only dominoes with a 4.
• Hint 2

  R3C1 and R4C1 total less than 3, and the board’s single 0 is on the 4-0.

Hard (fifteen dominoes on a six-row board)

• Hint 1

  R2C4, R3C4, R3C5 and R3C6 add up to 0, so all four are 0s. Eight halves show a 0, two of them on the 0-0.
• Hint 2

  R5C1, R6C1, R6C2 and R6C3 must match in the bottom-left corner. Six halves show a 2, including both on the 2-2.

Easy, region by region. Each rule is listed; tap a region to see one value in it.

• R1C1 is more than 4 (one cell)

  R1C1 holds a 6, on the 6-2 domino.
• R1C2, R2C2 and R3C2 are equal (three cells)

  R1C2 holds a 2, on the 6-2 domino.
• R1C3 and R1C4 add up to 8 (two cells)

  R1C3 holds a 3, on the 3-5 domino.
• R1C5 and R2C5 add up to 8 (two cells)

  R1C5 holds a 6, on the 6-6 domino.
• R1C6 is more than 4 (one cell)

  R1C6 holds a 6, on the 6-6 domino.
• R3C5 takes any value (one cell)

  R3C5 holds a 3, on the 2-3 domino.

Medium, region by region. Each rule is listed; tap a region to see one value in it.

• R1C2 and R2C2 are equal (two cells)

  R1C2 holds a 6, on the 6-6 domino.
• R1C3 and R1C4 add up to 11 (two cells)

  R1C3 holds a 6, on the 6-6 domino.
• R1C5 and R2C5 are equal (two cells)

  R1C5 holds a 2, on the 5-2 domino.
• R2C1 adds up to 4 (one cell)

  The 4 comes from the 4-0 domino; its other half sits at R3C1.
• R2C6 is more than 3 (one cell)

  R2C6 holds a 6, on the 6-3 domino.
• R3C1 and R4C1 total less than 3 (two cells)

  R3C1 holds a 0, on the 4-0 domino.
• R3C2 and R4C2 add up to 2 (two cells)

  R3C2 holds a 1, on the 6-1 domino.
• R3C5 and R4C5 add up to 2 (two cells)

  R3C5 holds a 1, on the 2-1 domino.
• R3C6 takes any value (one cell)

  R3C6 holds a 3, on the 6-3 domino.
• R4C6 adds up to 4 (one cell)

  The 4 comes from the 1-4 domino; its other half sits at R4C5.

Hard, region by region. Each rule is listed; tap a region to see one value in it.

• R1C1 adds up to 4 (one cell)

  The 4 comes from the 0-4 domino; its other half sits at R1C2.
• R1C2 and R2C2 add up to 3 (two cells)

  R1C2 holds a 0, on the 0-4 domino.
• R1C3 adds up to 4 (one cell)

  The 4 comes from the 6-4 domino; its other half sits at R1C4.
• R1C4 adds up to 6 (one cell)

  The 6 comes from the 6-4 domino; its other half sits at R1C3.
• R1C5 is less than 3 (one cell)

  R1C5 holds a 2, on the 5-2 domino.
• R1C6 adds up to 4 (one cell)

  The 4 comes from the 4-5 domino; its other half sits at R2C6.
• R2C1 adds up to 6 (one cell)

  The 6 comes from the 0-6 domino; its other half sits at R3C1.
• R2C3 adds up to 1 (one cell)

  The 1 comes from the 1-0 domino; its other half sits at R2C4.
• R2C4, R3C4, R3C5 and R3C6 add up to 0 (four cells)

  R2C4 holds a 0, on the 1-0 domino.
• R2C5 and R2C6 add up to 10 (two cells)

  R2C5 holds a 5, on the 5-2 domino.
• R3C1, R3C2 and R4C1 are equal (three cells)

  R3C1 holds a 0, on the 0-6 domino.
• R3C3 and R4C3 add up to 6 (two cells)

  R3C3 holds a 1, on the 1-5 domino.
• R4C6, R5C6 and R6C6 add up to 8 (three cells)

  R4C6 holds a 5, on the 0-5 domino.
• R5C1, R6C1, R6C2 and R6C3 are equal (four cells)

  R5C1 holds a 2, on the 0-2 domino.
• R5C5 is less than 4 (one cell)

  R5C5 holds a 3, on the 2-3 domino.
• R6C4 and R6C5 total less than 6 (two cells)

  R6C4 holds a 1, on the 1-2 domino.

Reading the boards before you check

Medium has five 1s and two pairs that add up to 2, so most of the 1s go there; the 1-1 double fits either pair. On Hard, R2C5 and R2C6 must reach 10 between them, and R6C4 with R6C5 must stay under 6. Easy has just one blank cell, R3C5.

Sunday’s other games: Wordle hints, Connections hints and Spelling Bee hints. Print the printable weekly calendar or the November 2026 calendar if you track how long each board takes.

Sunday’s Pips answers, Nov. 8, 2026 (spoilers)

Spoilers below: each line gives the domino and the cell for each half.

Easy, by Ian Livengood. Regions: R1C1 is more than 4; R1C2, R2C2 and R3C2 are equal; R1C3 and R1C4 add up to 8; R1C5 and R2C5 add up to 8; R1C6 is more than 4; R3C5 takes any value.

• 6-6: R1C5 = 6, R1C6 = 6
• 2-3: R2C5 = 2, R3C5 = 3
• 6-2: R1C1 = 6, R1C2 = 2
• 2-2: R2C2 = 2, R3C2 = 2
• 3-5: R1C3 = 3, R1C4 = 5

Medium, by Ian Livengood. Regions: R1C2 and R2C2 are equal; R1C3 and R1C4 add up to 11; R1C5 and R2C5 are equal; R2C1 adds up to 4; R2C6 is more than 3; R3C1 and R4C1 total less than 3; R3C2 and R4C2 add up to 2; R3C5 and R4C5 add up to 2; R4C6 adds up to 4; R3C6 takes any value.

• 5-2: R1C4 = 5, R1C5 = 2
• 4-0: R2C1 = 4, R3C1 = 0
• 6-3: R2C6 = 6, R3C6 = 3
• 6-1: R2C2 = 6, R3C2 = 1
• 2-1: R2C5 = 2, R3C5 = 1
• 1-1: R4C1 = 1, R4C2 = 1
• 6-6: R1C2 = 6, R1C3 = 6
• 1-4: R4C5 = 1, R4C6 = 4

Hard, by Rodolfo Kurchan. Regions: R1C1 adds up to 4; R1C2 and R2C2 add up to 3; R1C3 adds up to 4; R1C4 adds up to 6; R1C5 is less than 3; R1C6 adds up to 4; R2C1 adds up to 6; R2C3 adds up to 1; R2C4, R3C4, R3C5 and R3C6 add up to 0; R2C5 and R2C6 add up to 10; R3C1, R3C2 and R4C1 are equal; R3C3 and R4C3 add up to 6; R4C6, R5C6 and R6C6 add up to 8; R5C1, R6C1, R6C2 and R6C3 are equal; R5C5 is less than 4; R6C4 and R6C5 total less than 6.

• 0-0: R3C4 = 0, R3C5 = 0
• 0-1: R2C4 = 0, R2C3 = 1
• 0-2: R4C1 = 0, R5C1 = 2
• 0-3: R3C2 = 0, R2C2 = 3
• 0-4: R1C2 = 0, R1C1 = 4
• 0-5: R3C6 = 0, R4C6 = 5
• 0-6: R3C1 = 0, R2C1 = 6
• 1-2: R6C4 = 1, R6C3 = 2
• 1-4: R6C6 = 1, R6C5 = 4
• 1-5: R3C3 = 1, R4C3 = 5
• 2-2: R6C1 = 2, R6C2 = 2
• 2-3: R5C6 = 2, R5C5 = 3
• 2-5: R1C5 = 2, R2C5 = 5
• 4-5: R1C6 = 4, R2C6 = 5
• 4-6: R1C3 = 4, R1C4 = 6

One domino can be flipped on Easy, the 3-5. On Hard, the 1-5 can be turned either way; on Medium, nothing flips. Monday’s boards go live at midnight.