#154 · Saturday, 9 May 2026

Ladder answer

• AGENT 5 letters
• TEENAGE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• AGREEMENT 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

AGENT sits inside TEENAGE, which sits inside AGREEMENT — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ENATG · TNAEEGE · TGEEEANMR.

LockCode answer: 6015

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6019: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 0, 1, 9 are in the code.
2. 3691: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 9, 1 are in the code.
3. 9167: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 1, 6, 7 are in the code.
4. 8203: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 2, 0, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.