#56 · Saturday, 31 January 2026

Ladder answer

• NOTED 5 letters
• EDITION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DEVIATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NOTED sits inside EDITION, which sits inside DEVIATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TENOD · ONTEIID · OIIEDATVN.

LockCode answer: 8026

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0218: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 0, 2, 1, 8 are in the code.
2. 8049: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 0, 4, 9 are in the code.
3. 8904: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 9, 0, 4 are in the code.
4. 4501: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 5, 0, 1 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.