#69 · Friday, 13 February 2026

Ladder answer

• ALIGN 5 letters
• SAILING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DISABLING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ALIGN sits inside SAILING, which sits inside DISABLING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: LNIGA · NSILGIA · BLGDSAINI.

LockCode answer: 7182

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7962: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 9, 6, 2 are in the code.
2. 4150: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 1, 5, 0 are in the code.
3. 5276: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 2, 7, 6 are in the code.
4. 4910: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 9, 1, 0 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.