#137 · Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Ladder answer

• SINCE 5 letters
• LICENSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SELECTING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SINCE sits inside LICENSE, which sits inside SELECTING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: SINEC · ESINLCE · ELSICGETN.

LockCode answer: 2407

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2475: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 4, 7, 5 are in the code.
2. 1276: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 2, 7, 6 are in the code.
3. 1360: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 3, 6, 0 are in the code.
4. 6910: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 9, 1, 0 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.