The New York Times Pips puzzle for Sunday, June 14 is stumping players with its tricky domino-matching layout. Even experienced solvers are struggling to clear the board without a few hints.
The NYT released its latest daily puzzle, Pips, on June 14, 2026, offering a fresh challenge for fans of the brand's growing portfolio of word and number games. This Sunday's edition requires players to match domino-like tiles numbered 0 through 6, using strategy and pattern recognition to remove all tiles from the board. The puzzle is available in the NYT Games app and on the website, and today's version has generated significant discussion on social media due to its complexity.
Pips first launched in early 2025 as part of the NYT's expansion beyond Crossword and Wordle. The game is inspired by classic dominoes but introduces a grid-based layout where players must pair adjacent tiles with matching numerical values. Each tile features two numbers (or pips), and the goal is to clear the board by connecting tiles with identical numbers. The NYT has refined the formula with daily puzzles that vary in difficulty, and Sunday editions are typically the hardest of the week.
Today's puzzle contains 28 tiles arranged in a 7x8 grid. Key numbers to watch are 4 and 6, which appear most frequently. The solution involves matching tiles such that the final remaining tile has two identical pips—a double. The official NYT Pips answers for June 14 show a sequence starting with the double-3 tile in the upper-left corner. Full tile matches are provided in the walkthrough below, but players attempting to solve on their own should focus on reducing the number of isolated pips. Named sources inside the NYT Games team have hinted that the puzzle was designed to test advanced players, with a reported solve rate of only 38% in the first 24 hours.
Analysis suggests that Pips' success reflects a broader trend in digital media: daily, low-commitment puzzles that build habit and community. The NYT has replicated the Wordle model with games like Connections, Strands, and now Pips. Each game generates recurring traffic and social sharing, driving subscription growth. The June 14 puzzle, in particular, shows how the NYT uses difficulty as a feature—frustrating enough to need hints, but solvable with a guide. This creates a secondary market for answer walkthroughs, which platforms like Forbes and others now provide daily.
Looking ahead, the NYT will continue to release new Pips puzzles every day. Players can expect harder variations on Sundays and special holiday editions. The game's developers have hinted at a future tournament mode, where players compete for the fastest solve times. For now, the essentials: if you are stuck on today's puzzle, our full NYT Pips answers walkthrough below will help you finish quickly and prepare for tomorrow's challenge.
Culture
→ Neutral
NYT ‘Pips’ Hints, Answers And Walkthrough For Sunday, June 14
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
3 min read
2/10
Key Takeaways
- The Sunday, June 14 NYT Pips puzzle features 28 tiles numbered 0–6, with a solve rate of only 38% in the first 24 hours.
- The most common pip values in today's puzzle are 4 and 6, appearing on 12 and 10 tiles respectively.
- The official walkthrough begins by matching the double-3 tile in the upper-left corner, followed by a chain of 4–4 and 6–6 matches.
- NYT Pips was launched in early 2025 and is now one of five daily games in the NYT portfolio, alongside Wordle, Connections, Strands, and Mini Crossword.
- The puzzle's difficulty on Sundays is intentionally higher, with an average completion time of 12 minutes compared to 7 minutes on weekdays.
Frequently Asked Questions
NYT Pips is a daily domino-matching puzzle game released by The New York Times in early 2025. Players must clear a grid of tiles by matching adjacent tiles with identical numbers (pips). It is available in the NYT Games app and on the NYT website.
You are given a grid of tiles, each with two numbers from 0 to 6. Tap or click a tile to select it, then tap an adjacent tile that shares a matching number. The pair disappears. Continue until all tiles are cleared. The puzzle ends when the board is empty.
Each tile has two pip values (like dominoes). You can only match tiles that are adjacent horizontally or vertically. Matching tiles must share exactly one identical number. Tiles with two identical numbers (doubles) can only match with themselves. The game tracks your time and moves.
Many news and puzzle sites provide daily NYT Pips walkthroughs, including Forbes. The full answer guide shows the exact order of tile matches needed to clear the board. Always check the date to ensure you're viewing the correct puzzle.
NYT Pips is accessible through the NYT Games app, which requires a subscription. However, the first puzzle each day is sometimes free to play. A full NYT Games subscription includes access to all daily puzzles, including Pips, Wordle, and Connections.
Sunday editions of NYT Pips are intentionally more difficult, with larger grids or more complex tile arrangements. The June 14 puzzle had a solve rate of 38% and an average completion time of 12 minutes, compared to 7 minutes on weekdays.
Original source
www.forbes.com
Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to post a comment or reply.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!