#28 · Saturday, 3 January 2026

Ladder answer

• STAND 5 letters
• DISTANT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• STATIONED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STAND sits inside DISTANT, which sits inside STATIONED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ANDST · NDSAITT · ANSDTIEOT.

LockCode answer: 5407

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3807: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 8, 0, 7 are in the code.
2. 4730: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 7, 3, 0 are in the code.
3. 4653: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 6, 5, 3 are in the code.
4. 4038: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 0, 3, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.