#6 · Friday, 12 December 2025

Ladder answer

• THREE 5 letters
• LEATHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• HEARTFELT 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

THREE sits inside LEATHER, which sits inside HEARTFELT — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ETHRE · LRTEAHE · THEALETRF.

LockCode answer: 1548

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9148: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 1, 4, 8 are in the code.
2. 2037 scored nothing, so 2, 0, 3, 7 are all out.
3. 4320: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 3, 2, 0 are in the code.
4. 4260: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 2, 6, 0 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.