#77 · Saturday, 21 February 2026

Ladder answer

• STORE 5 letters
• PROTEST 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• POSTERITY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STORE sits inside PROTEST, which sits inside POSTERITY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RTSEO · TTPORES · TRTPSEIOY.

LockCode answer: 4129

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4620: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 6, 2, 0 are in the code.
2. 8175: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 1, 7, 5 are in the code.
3. 7516: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 5, 1, 6 are in the code.
4. 8417: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 4, 1, 7 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.