#54 · Thursday, 29 January 2026

Ladder answer

• INNER 5 letters
• EARNING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ARGENTINA 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

INNER sits inside EARNING, which sits inside ARGENTINA — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NENRI · NRIANEG · TAGNREIAN.

LockCode answer: 4736

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4286: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 8, 6 are in the code.
2. 9201 scored nothing, so 9, 2, 0, 1 are all out.
3. 2901 scored nothing, so 2, 9, 0, 1 are all out.
4. 0156: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 5, 6 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.