#66 · Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Ladder answer

• HENCE 5 letters
• ENHANCE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CHANNELED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

HENCE sits inside ENHANCE, which sits inside CHANNELED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: HECNE · HCENAEN · LCHDEAENN.

LockCode answer: 5632

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5620: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 6, 2, 0 are in the code.
2. 3540: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 5, 4, 0 are in the code.
3. 2768: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 7, 6, 8 are in the code.
4. 9457: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 4, 5, 7 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.