#76 · Friday, 20 February 2026

Ladder answer

• BRAIN 5 letters
• VIBRANT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• VIBRATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

BRAIN sits inside VIBRANT, which sits inside VIBRATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IBANR · RVNTAIB · RNVIBIOAT.

LockCode answer: 9580

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5708: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 7, 0, 8 are in the code.
2. 9851: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 8, 5, 1 are in the code.
3. 3468: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 4, 6, 8 are in the code.
4. 8951: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 9, 5, 1 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.