#115 · Tuesday, 31 March 2026

Ladder answer

• TRAIN 5 letters
• PAINTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PARENTING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRAIN sits inside PAINTER, which sits inside PARENTING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TARNI · PIAENTR · PRTNGINEA.

LockCode answer: 0937

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0942: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 9, 4, 2 are in the code.
2. 5284 scored nothing, so 5, 2, 8, 4 are all out.
3. 9802: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 8, 0, 2 are in the code.
4. 5681 scored nothing, so 5, 6, 8, 1 are all out.
5. After all clues, 2 codes remain possible.

With 2 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.