#169 · Sunday, 24 May 2026

Ladder answer

• STONE 5 letters
• TENSION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MINNESOTA 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STONE sits inside TENSION, which sits inside MINNESOTA — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OESNT · IETNNSO · NISMTNEAO.

LockCode answer: 3412

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0417: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 4, 1, 7 are in the code.
2. 0892: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 8, 9, 2 are in the code.
3. 2970: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 9, 7, 0 are in the code.
4. 1537: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 5, 3, 7 are in the code.
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.