#130 · Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Ladder answer

• LEARN 5 letters
• CENTRAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• TOLERANCE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LEARN sits inside CENTRAL, which sits inside TOLERANCE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ALERN · LRTCENA · AENEOCLRT.

LockCode answer: 5739

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5763: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 7, 6, 3 are in the code.
2. 8756: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 7, 5, 6 are in the code.
3. 8317: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 3, 1, 7 are in the code.
4. 8375: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 3, 7, 5 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.