#120 · Sunday, 5 April 2026

Ladder answer

• SAINT 5 letters
• LASTING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PULSATING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SAINT sits inside LASTING, which sits inside PULSATING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TISNA · TIASNGL · UALITGPNS.

LockCode answer: 7634

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7430: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 4, 3, 0 are in the code.
2. 0789: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 8, 9 are in the code.
3. 4079: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 0, 7, 9 are in the code.
4. 0721: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 2, 1 are in the code.
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.