#166 · Thursday, 21 May 2026

Ladder answer

• OTHER 5 letters
• TOUGHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RIGHTEOUS 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

OTHER sits inside TOUGHER, which sits inside RIGHTEOUS — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EORHT · URTEHGO · TEGSHORUI.

LockCode answer: 6894

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6879: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 8, 7, 9 are in the code.
2. 1329: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 3, 2, 9 are in the code.
3. 7962: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 9, 6, 2 are in the code.
4. 8301: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 0, 1 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.