#19 · Thursday, 25 December 2025

Ladder answer

• THERE 5 letters
• LEATHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• TELEGRAPH 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

THERE sits inside LEATHER, which sits inside TELEGRAPH — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: HEERT · ELTEAHR · REPEAGLHT.

LockCode answer: 5643

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4362: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 3, 6, 2 are in the code.
2. 4583: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 5, 8, 3 are in the code.
3. 0417: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 4, 1, 7 are in the code.
4. 8205: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 2, 0, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.