#170 · Monday, 25 May 2026

Ladder answer

• TREND 5 letters
• THUNDER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• UNEARTHED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TREND sits inside THUNDER, which sits inside UNEARTHED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ERDTN · DUEHNTR · HDERUAENT.

LockCode answer: 4125

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1523: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 5, 2, 3 are in the code.
2. 2645: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 6, 4, 5 are in the code.
3. 0258: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 2, 5, 8 are in the code.
4. 3269: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 2, 6, 9 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 2 codes remain possible.

With 2 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.