#36 · Sunday, 11 January 2026

Ladder answer

• DRIED 5 letters
• RESIDED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DESCRIBED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DRIED sits inside RESIDED, which sits inside DESCRIBED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IRDDE · DSREEDI · CIBDEDRES.

LockCode answer: 9681

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2619: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 6, 1, 9 are in the code.
2. 9047: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 0, 4, 7 are in the code.
3. 9260: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 2, 6, 0 are in the code.
4. 2360: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 3, 6, 0 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.