#59 · Tuesday, 3 February 2026

Ladder answer

• SPINE 5 letters
• INSPIRE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PRECISION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SPINE sits inside INSPIRE, which sits inside PRECISION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: PEISN · IRIPSEN · SCINRIOEP.

LockCode answer: 2690

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8640: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 4, 0 are in the code.
2. 5748 scored nothing, so 5, 7, 4, 8 are all out.
3. 7640: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 6, 4, 0 are in the code.
4. 2406: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 4, 0, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.