#21 · Saturday, 27 December 2025

Ladder answer

• NEVER 5 letters
• VENTURE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• VOLUNTEER 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NEVER sits inside VENTURE, which sits inside VOLUNTEER — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: VNREE · REVUETN · RVNELOTEU.

LockCode answer: 6759

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0759: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 0, 7, 5, 9 are in the code.
2. 8907: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 9, 0, 7 are in the code.
3. 5079: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 0, 7, 9 are in the code.
4. 3047: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 0, 4, 7 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.