#68 · Thursday, 12 February 2026

Ladder answer

• PLACE 5 letters
• SPECIAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DISPLACED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PLACE sits inside SPECIAL, which sits inside DISPLACED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: LACPE · PIALESC · ESCPDDALI.

LockCode answer: 2579

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2795 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 8346 scored nothing, so 8, 3, 4, 6 are all out.
3. 4860 scored nothing, so 4, 8, 6, 0 are all out.
4. 2786: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 7, 8, 6 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.