#33 · Thursday, 8 January 2026

Ladder answer

• TRACE 5 letters
• CREATOR 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CORPORATE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRACE sits inside CREATOR, which sits inside CORPORATE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ERTCA · RATORCE · RPAOTRCOE.

LockCode answer: 2163

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1932: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 9, 3, 2 are in the code.
2. 6521: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 5, 2, 1 are in the code.
3. 4856: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 8, 5, 6 are in the code.
4. 5038: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 0, 3, 8 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.