#51 · Monday, 26 January 2026

Ladder answer

• SUPER 5 letters
• PURPOSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SUPPORTED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SUPER sits inside PURPOSE, which sits inside SUPPORTED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RUPES · SPEPORU · DUSREPPTO.

LockCode answer: 9746

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9645: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 6, 4, 5 are in the code.
2. 2147: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 1, 4, 7 are in the code.
3. 8173: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 1, 7, 3 are in the code.
4. 3961: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 9, 6, 1 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.