#131 · Thursday, 16 April 2026

Ladder answer

• NORTH 5 letters
• ANOTHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• NORTHEAST 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NORTH sits inside ANOTHER, which sits inside NORTHEAST — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RNOTH · NTEHROA · AEORTTNHS.

LockCode answer: 6543

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6582: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 5, 8, 2 are in the code.
2. 1249: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 2, 4, 9 are in the code.
3. 2658: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 6, 5, 8 are in the code.
4. 3175: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 1, 7, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.