#74 · Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Ladder answer

• GRADE 5 letters
• GUARDED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• GRADUATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRADE sits inside GUARDED, which sits inside GRADUATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ADREG · DADUGER · ERUADTAGD.

LockCode answer: 7094

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4780: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 7, 8, 0 are in the code.
2. 2184: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 1, 8, 4 are in the code.
3. 2580: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 5, 8, 0 are in the code.
4. 2819: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 8, 1, 9 are in the code.
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.