#138 · Thursday, 23 April 2026

Ladder answer

• CABLE 5 letters
• BALANCE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INCAPABLE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CABLE sits inside BALANCE, which sits inside INCAPABLE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ELACB · BCALAEN · CPNABILEA.

LockCode answer: 2974

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2968: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 9, 6, 8 are in the code.
2. 1305 scored nothing, so 1, 3, 0, 5 are all out.
3. 5410: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 4, 1, 0 are in the code.
4. 4635: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 6, 3, 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.