#125 · Friday, 10 April 2026

Ladder answer

• STORE 5 letters
• MONSTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MONASTERY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STORE sits inside MONSTER, which sits inside MONASTERY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TORSE · ONEMSRT · EAOYSTRNM.

LockCode answer: 8406

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8401: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 4, 0, 1 are in the code.
2. 5184: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 1, 8, 4 are in the code.
3. 1580: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 5, 8, 0 are in the code.
4. 0395: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 3, 9, 5 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.