#58 · Monday, 2 February 2026

Ladder answer

• MAGIC 5 letters
• CAMPING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• COMPARING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MAGIC sits inside CAMPING, which sits inside COMPARING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: CAIMG · NIMGCAP · RIGPCAOMN.

LockCode answer: 3619

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3698: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 6, 9, 8 are in the code.
2. 7093: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 0, 9, 3 are in the code.
3. 6893: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 8, 9, 3 are in the code.
4. 4932: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 9, 3, 2 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.