#173 · Thursday, 28 May 2026

Ladder answer

• PRINT 5 letters
• PORTION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PROMOTION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PRINT sits inside PORTION, which sits inside PROMOTION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RPITN · IPOROTN · IONOOMPRT.

LockCode answer: 0671

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0367: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 0, 3, 6, 7 are in the code.
2. 8176: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 1, 7, 6 are in the code.
3. 1859: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 8, 5, 9 are in the code.
4. 5768: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 7, 6, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.