#147 · Saturday, 2 May 2026

Ladder answer

• STAND 5 letters
• INSTEAD 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DESIGNATE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STAND sits inside INSTEAD, which sits inside DESIGNATE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ASDNT · ENDITAS · NGSTEDIEA.

LockCode answer: 3762

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8409 scored nothing, so 8, 4, 0, 9 are all out.
2. 0158 scored nothing, so 0, 1, 5, 8 are all out.
3. 8154 scored nothing, so 8, 1, 5, 4 are all out.
4. 3524: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 5, 2, 4 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.