#144 · Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Ladder answer

• SINCE 5 letters
• SECTION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SELECTION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SINCE sits inside SECTION, which sits inside SELECTION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IENSC · NTICOSE · ESOTINELC.

LockCode answer: 6712

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6152: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 1, 5, 2 are in the code.
2. 7358: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 3, 5, 8 are in the code.
3. 0987: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 9, 8, 7 are in the code.
4. 3974: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 9, 7, 4 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.