#119 · Saturday, 4 April 2026

Ladder answer

• CHEAP 5 letters
• CHAPTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PARACHUTE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CHEAP sits inside CHAPTER, which sits inside PARACHUTE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: PECAH · CTAPEHR · PETCUAHRA.

LockCode answer: 6302

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2601: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 6, 0, 1 are in the code.
2. 6258: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 2, 5, 8 are in the code.
3. 2698: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 6, 9, 8 are in the code.
4. 9548 scored nothing, so 9, 5, 4, 8 are all out.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.