#71 · Sunday, 15 February 2026

Ladder answer

• TRADE 5 letters
• RELATED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REGULATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRADE sits inside RELATED, which sits inside REGULATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TRDEA · LEDRETA · GLDRUETAE.

LockCode answer: 7562

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7602: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 6, 0, 2 are in the code.
2. 9843 scored nothing, so 9, 8, 4, 3 are all out.
3. 2349: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 3, 4, 9 are in the code.
4. 4821: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 8, 2, 1 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.