#3 · Tuesday, 9 December 2025

Ladder answer

• IDEAL 5 letters
• LEADING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ALONGSIDE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

IDEAL sits inside LEADING, which sits inside ALONGSIDE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: AEDLI · NIEGLDA · EILNSGDAO.

LockCode answer: 4693

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4679: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 6, 7, 9 are in the code.
2. 9703: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 7, 0, 3 are in the code.
3. 2865: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 8, 6, 5 are in the code.
4. 3876: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 8, 7, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.