#64 · Sunday, 8 February 2026

Ladder answer

• TEMPO 5 letters
• COMPETE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• COMPLETED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TEMPO sits inside COMPETE, which sits inside COMPLETED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: POTME · MCPEETO · EDCTELPMO.

LockCode answer: 8612

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3812: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 8, 1, 2 are in the code.
2. 0738: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 3, 8 are in the code.
3. 0754 scored nothing, so 0, 7, 5, 4 are all out.
4. 7208: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 2, 0, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.