#178 · Tuesday, 2 June 2026

Ladder answer

• IMAGE 5 letters
• MEANING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REMAINING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

IMAGE sits inside MEANING, which sits inside REMAINING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: GEAMI · GNMNAIE · NEIRAIMGN.

LockCode answer: 5946

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5249: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 2, 4, 9 are in the code.
2. 5942: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 9, 4, 2 are in the code.
3. 7529: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 5, 2, 9 are in the code.
4. 8376: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 7, 6 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.