#50 · Sunday, 25 January 2026

Ladder answer

• MEDIA 5 letters
• MARRIED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REMAINDER 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MEDIA sits inside MARRIED, which sits inside REMAINDER — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: DEIMA · RAIMRED · DRRAEEMIN.

LockCode answer: 1690

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1495: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 4, 9, 5 are in the code.
2. 8370: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 7, 0 are in the code.
3. 9814: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 8, 1, 4 are in the code.
4. 0718: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 7, 1, 8 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.