#27 · Friday, 2 January 2026

Ladder answer

• NIGHT 5 letters
• HEATING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• NIGHTMARE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NIGHT sits inside HEATING, which sits inside NIGHTMARE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NHTGI · NHTIAGE · TIEGAHMRN.

LockCode answer: 7082

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7589: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 5, 8, 9 are in the code.
2. 3602: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 0, 2 are in the code.
3. 0164: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 6, 4 are in the code.
4. 4791: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 7, 9, 1 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.