#32 · Wednesday, 7 January 2026

Ladder answer

• PIECE 5 letters
• PRECISE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PRESCRIBE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PIECE sits inside PRECISE, which sits inside PRESCRIBE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: PEEIC · RSPCEEI · RCRISPEBE.

LockCode answer: 8074

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8274: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 2, 7, 4 are in the code.
2. 9503: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 5, 0, 3 are in the code.
3. 4821: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 8, 2, 1 are in the code.
4. 2850: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 8, 5, 0 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.