#141 · Sunday, 26 April 2026

Ladder answer

• COURT 5 letters
• PRODUCT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CORRUPTED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

COURT sits inside PRODUCT, which sits inside CORRUPTED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ROTUC · TPCDURO · UPORETDCR.

LockCode answer: 9435

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5432: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 4, 3, 2 are in the code.
2. 5623: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 6, 2, 3 are in the code.
3. 5023: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 0, 2, 3 are in the code.
4. 1834: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 8, 3, 4 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.