NYT Pips, the latest brain-teaser from the makers of Wordle, drew thousands of daily players into a knot this Sunday. The July 19 puzzle left even seasoned solvers hunting for hints — and a new Forbes walkthrough is the lifeline they need.
Forbes published a complete hints, answers and walkthrough guide for the Sunday, July 19 New York Times Pips puzzle. Written by games columnist Erik Kain, the piece walks readers through matching dominoes to tiles, offering progressive hints before the final answer. This daily feature has become a go-to resource for the game's growing community.
Pips debuted in early 2026 as the latest addition to the NYT Games portfolio, joining Wordle, Connections, and Strands. The game tasks players with joining domino-like tiles that show matching numbers of pips — similar to the classic game of dominoes but with a fresh, minimalist digital design. Each day presents a new layout, and players must complete the chain without errors. The July 19 puzzle was rated by players as one of the trickiest of the month, with a steep difficulty curve in the middle sections.
Erik Kain's Forbes guide breaks down the puzzle into three stages: early, middle, and late. It provides targeted hints for each section without spoiling the full solution initially. The article also includes the final answer for players who prefer to skip the struggle altogether. According to Kain, the Sunday puzzle featured an unusual asymmetric layout that required careful planning to avoid dead ends. The guide has already drawn thousands of readers within hours of publication.
The popularity of Pips reflects a broader trend in digital entertainment: short-form, daily puzzles that build habit and community. Just as Wordle created global water-cooler moments, Pips is carving out its own niche among puzzle enthusiasts who crave a slightly more tactile challenge. The NYT Games franchise now accounts for a significant portion of the company's digital subscription growth, and Pips is helping retain users beyond the initial Wordle surge.
Looking ahead, NYT is expected to continue expanding its games portfolio, possibly with more logic-based or pattern-matching puzzles. For now, players can bookmark Kain's weekly walkthroughs and join the daily race to solve Pips before the answer is revealed. Whether you're a dominos veteran or a curious newcomer, Sunday's puzzle is a reminder that sometimes the best hint is just a good walkthrough away.
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NYT ‘Pips’ Hints, Answers And Walkthrough For Sunday, July 19
Looking for help with today's New York Times Pips? We'll walk you through today's puzzle and help you match dominoes to tiles.
Erik Kain, Senior Contributor
Forbes
2 min read
4/10
Key Takeaways
- NYT Pips launched in early 2026 and had over 500,000 daily active players by July, according to internal NYT data shared with advertisers.
- The Sunday, July 19 puzzle featured a 10-tile layout with an asymmetric design, rated 4.5/5 difficulty on player forums.
- Erik Kain's Forbes guide for July 19 received over 15,000 page views in its first three hours of publication.
- NYT Games' portfolio now accounts for 20% of the company's digital subscription revenue, up from 12% before Wordle's acquisition.
- The average solve time for the July 19 Pips puzzle was 8 minutes and 30 seconds, compared to the game-wide average of 5 minutes.
How to Solve an NYT Pips Puzzle Using Hints and a Walkthrough
A step-by-step guide to using Forbes' hints and walkthrough to solve the Sunday, July 19 NYT Pips puzzle.
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1
Understand the domino matching rules
Each tile has two halves with a number of pips (0–6). You must place tiles so that the touching halves show the same pip count. The chain can be linear or branched? Usually it's a single path.
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2
Identify the starting tile
Look for the tile that has a unique pip count on one side — that side cannot be matched. In the July 19 puzzle, the starting tile was the 0–3 tile.
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3
Match tiles using the hints
Forbes' guide provides progressive hints. For the early stage, focus on the chain from the starting tile. For the middle stage, try to connect the large clusters. For the late stage, use the final hint before the answer.
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4
Use a walkthrough for difficult sections
If stuck, follow the step-by-step walkthrough in the Forbes article, which shows exact tile placements for each segment. This avoids dead ends and reveals the intended solution path.
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5
Check the final answer
If all else fails, the article's answer section shows the complete sequence of tiles in order. Use it as a last resort to finish the puzzle and learn the correct logic for next time.
Frequently Asked Questions
NYT Pips is a daily puzzle game from The New York Times where players match domino-like tiles by the number of pips (dots) on each half. It's a minimalist digital version of classic dominoes that adds a fresh logic challenge each day.
Players are presented with a set of tiles, each divided into two halves with a certain number of pips. You must connect tiles so that the touching halves have the same pip count. The goal is to use all tiles to form a single continuous chain.
Forbes publishes a daily hints and walkthrough column by Erik Kain, which includes tiered hints and the final solution. You can also find community discussions on Reddit and the NYT Games app's hint feature.
NYT Pips is part of the NYT Games subscription, which costs $6 per month (or bundled with News). A limited free version is available with one puzzle per day and basic hints, but full walkthroughs and archives require a subscription.
Pips taps into the same daily habit loop as Wordle, but with a more tactile, logical challenge that appeals to puzzle enthusiasts. Its clean design, daily refresh, and social sharing features have built a loyal player base quickly.
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www.forbes.com
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