#34 · Friday, 9 January 2026

Ladder answer

• PRINT 5 letters
• PROTEIN 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• OPERATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PRINT sits inside PROTEIN, which sits inside OPERATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RTNIP · ORETNIP · NOPAETIRO.

LockCode answer: 0532

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4531: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 5, 3, 1 are in the code.
2. 8092: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 0, 9, 2 are in the code.
3. 3615: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 1, 5 are in the code.
4. 5128: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 1, 2, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.