#61 · Thursday, 5 February 2026

Ladder answer

• SAINT 5 letters
• STATION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SITUATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SAINT sits inside STATION, which sits inside SITUATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ITNAS · TNTIAOS · UTSATNOII.

LockCode answer: 5062

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3260: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 2, 6, 0 are in the code.
2. 2905: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 9, 0, 5 are in the code.
3. 2184: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 1, 8, 4 are in the code.
4. 1973 scored nothing, so 1, 9, 7, 3 are all out.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.