#175 · Saturday, 30 May 2026

Ladder answer

• TRADE 5 letters
• CREATED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DECORATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRADE sits inside CREATED, which sits inside DECORATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RDETA · TREDEAC · OEARETCDD.

LockCode answer: 7682

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7826 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 9305 scored nothing, so 9, 3, 0, 5 are all out.
3. 1403 scored nothing, so 1, 4, 0, 3 are all out.
4. 9035 scored nothing, so 9, 0, 3, 5 are all out.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.