#171 · Tuesday, 26 May 2026

Ladder answer

• PROUD 5 letters
• PRODUCE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PROCEDURE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PROUD sits inside PRODUCE, which sits inside PROCEDURE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OPRDU · RDEPCOU · RDCOPUREE.

LockCode answer: 1862

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1820: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 8, 2, 0 are in the code.
2. 1639: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 6, 3, 9 are in the code.
3. 0458: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 4, 5, 8 are in the code.
4. 0271: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 2, 7, 1 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 2 codes remain possible.

With 2 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.