#168 · Saturday, 23 May 2026

Ladder answer

• SINCE 5 letters
• SECTION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INSPECTOR 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SINCE sits inside SECTION, which sits inside INSPECTOR — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ESNCI · ENIOCTS · PCTOSIERN.

LockCode answer: 6879

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1867: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 8, 6, 7 are in the code.
2. 3729: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 2, 9 are in the code.
3. 4293: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 2, 9, 3 are in the code.
4. 3862: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 8, 6, 2 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.