#176 · Sunday, 31 May 2026

Ladder answer

• MEDIA 5 letters
• MARRIED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REPRIMAND 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MEDIA sits inside MARRIED, which sits inside REPRIMAND — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: AIEMD · RMREIDA · PIAMDENRR.

LockCode answer: 1763

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1967: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 9, 6, 7 are in the code.
2. 6059: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 0, 5, 9 are in the code.
3. 5014: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 0, 1, 4 are in the code.
4. 5274: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 2, 7, 4 are in the code.
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.