#22 · Sunday, 28 December 2025

Ladder answer

• ENTER 5 letters
• EASTERN 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• GREATNESS 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ENTER sits inside EASTERN, which sits inside GREATNESS — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EENRT · RSEETNA · GNTEESSRA.

LockCode answer: 6347

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6543: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 5, 4, 3 are in the code.
2. 5839: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 8, 3, 9 are in the code.
3. 3895: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 8, 9, 5 are in the code.
4. 0695: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 6, 9, 5 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.