#156 · Monday, 11 May 2026

Ladder answer

• CLOSE 5 letters
• CONSOLE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SEMICOLON 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CLOSE sits inside CONSOLE, which sits inside SEMICOLON — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: CESOL · SOELOCN · ONMIELSCO.

LockCode answer: 1849

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4981 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 2580: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 5, 8, 0 are in the code.
3. 4631: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 6, 3, 1 are in the code.
4. 2745: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 7, 4, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.