#1 · Sunday, 7 December 2025

Ladder answer

• ANGEL 5 letters
• ENGLAND 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ENTANGLED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ANGEL sits inside ENGLAND, which sits inside ENTANGLED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ELGAN · LNADENG · NGLTADENE.

LockCode answer: 1380

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1329: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 3, 2, 9 are in the code.
2. 9345: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 3, 4, 5 are in the code.
3. 5132: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 1, 3, 2 are in the code.
4. 7148: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 1, 4, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.