#116 · Wednesday, 1 April 2026

Ladder answer

• PRONE 5 letters
• PIONEER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REOPENING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PRONE sits inside PIONEER, which sits inside REOPENING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: REOPN · RENPIOE · EEOGNNIPR.

LockCode answer: 2513

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2314: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 3, 1, 4 are in the code.
2. 2859: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 8, 5, 9 are in the code.
3. 2079: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 0, 7, 9 are in the code.
4. 5209: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 2, 0, 9 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 4 codes remain possible.

With 4 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.