#60 · Wednesday, 4 February 2026

Ladder answer

• THESE 5 letters
• SHELTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• HEARTLESS 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

THESE sits inside SHELTER, which sits inside HEARTLESS — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: HETSE · RETHSLE · LSEEHATSR.

LockCode answer: 8296

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8291: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 2, 9, 1 are in the code.
2. 3918: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 9, 1, 8 are in the code.
3. 7032: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 0, 3, 2 are in the code.
4. 5708: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 7, 0, 8 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.