#121 · Monday, 6 April 2026

Ladder answer

• PANEL 5 letters
• PENALTY 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PATIENTLY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PANEL sits inside PENALTY, which sits inside PATIENTLY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ENAPL · APTENYL · TIAYLENPT.

LockCode answer: 0462

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2467: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 4, 6, 7 are in the code.
2. 0839: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 8, 3, 9 are in the code.
3. 1538 scored nothing, so 1, 5, 3, 8 are all out.
4. 3986: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 9, 8, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.