#162 · Sunday, 17 May 2026

Ladder answer

• AGENT 5 letters
• ELEGANT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RECTANGLE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

AGENT sits inside ELEGANT, which sits inside RECTANGLE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ANEGT · NEGTEAL · CEATLRNGE.

LockCode answer: 9201

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9408: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 4, 0, 8 are in the code.
2. 4306: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 3, 0, 6 are in the code.
3. 7043: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 0, 4, 3 are in the code.
4. 7438 scored nothing, so 7, 4, 3, 8 are all out.
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.