#15 · Sunday, 21 December 2025

Ladder answer

• LARGE 5 letters
• REGULAR 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REGULATOR 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LARGE sits inside REGULAR, which sits inside REGULATOR — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ARGEL · ARUGERL · AUGROTLRE.

LockCode answer: 8102

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9802: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 8, 0, 2 are in the code.
2. 5970: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 9, 7, 0 are in the code.
3. 0795: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 9, 5 are in the code.
4. 5731: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 7, 3, 1 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.