#55 · Friday, 30 January 2026

Ladder answer

• STATE 5 letters
• FASTEST 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• STEADFAST 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STATE sits inside FASTEST, which sits inside STEADFAST — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: SETTA · TSSFETA · ATSDATFES.

LockCode answer: 2473

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2893: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 8, 9, 3 are in the code.
2. 5170: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 1, 7, 0 are in the code.
3. 6749: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 7, 4, 9 are in the code.
4. 2564: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 5, 6, 4 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.