#53 · Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Ladder answer

• PAINT 5 letters
• PATIENT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PATERNITY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PAINT sits inside PATIENT, which sits inside PATERNITY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TPNIA · IATTPEN · TYNPAEITR.

LockCode answer: 4075

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5476: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 4, 7, 6 are in the code.
2. 6875: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 8, 7, 5 are in the code.
3. 0912: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 9, 1, 2 are in the code.
4. 5920: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 9, 2, 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.