#82 · Thursday, 26 February 2026

Ladder answer

• PLACE 5 letters
• UPSCALE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SPECULATE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PLACE sits inside UPSCALE, which sits inside SPECULATE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: PLCEA · CLPSEUA · LSAEPECTU.

LockCode answer: 1640

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1042: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 0, 4, 2 are in the code.
2. 7084: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 0, 8, 4 are in the code.
3. 7085: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 0, 8, 5 are in the code.
4. 7591: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 5, 9, 1 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.