#159 · Thursday, 14 May 2026

Ladder answer

• LARGE 5 letters
• GALLERY 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REGULARLY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LARGE sits inside GALLERY, which sits inside REGULARLY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: GERAL · GRAELYL · LAREURLGY.

LockCode answer: 7932

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7192: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 1, 9, 2 are in the code.
2. 3186: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 1, 8, 6 are in the code.
3. 9024: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 0, 2, 4 are in the code.
4. 3764: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 6, 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.