#31 · Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Ladder answer

• NEVER 5 letters
• VETERAN 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RENOVATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NEVER sits inside VETERAN, which sits inside RENOVATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ERVEN · TEVANER · TENOEVADR.

LockCode answer: 8951

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4961: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 9, 6, 1 are in the code.
2. 0273 scored nothing, so 0, 2, 7, 3 are all out.
3. 2490: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 4, 9, 0 are in the code.
4. 1082: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 0, 8, 2 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.