#5 · Thursday, 11 December 2025

Ladder answer

• STAGE 5 letters
• SEATING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ASSERTING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STAGE sits inside SEATING, which sits inside ASSERTING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TGSAE · GSENTIA · GSNETIARS.

LockCode answer: 7502

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3512: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 5, 1, 2 are in the code.
2. 9052: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 0, 5, 2 are in the code.
3. 2059: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 0, 5, 9 are in the code.
4. 9683 scored nothing, so 9, 6, 8, 3 are all out.
5. After all clues, 4 codes remain possible.

With 4 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.