#41 · Friday, 16 January 2026

Ladder answer

• CLEAR 5 letters
• ARTICLE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• BACTERIAL 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CLEAR sits inside ARTICLE, which sits inside BACTERIAL — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: AELCR · EALICRT · BLCIEAATR.

LockCode answer: 5612

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5216 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 4387 scored nothing, so 4, 3, 8, 7 are all out.
3. 7983 scored nothing, so 7, 9, 8, 3 are all out.
4. 9834 scored nothing, so 9, 8, 3, 4 are all out.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.