#26 · Thursday, 1 January 2026

Ladder answer

• GRIEF 5 letters
• FOREIGN 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CONFIGURE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRIEF sits inside FOREIGN, which sits inside CONFIGURE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RGIEF · FOGINRE · UROEGFCIN.

LockCode answer: 6892

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6875: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 8, 7, 5 are in the code.
2. 7302: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 3, 0, 2 are in the code.
3. 8356: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 3, 5, 6 are in the code.
4. 4186: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 1, 8, 6 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.