#9 · Monday, 15 December 2025

Ladder answer

• GIVEN 5 letters
• LEAVING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REVEALING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GIVEN sits inside LEAVING, which sits inside REVEALING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: VIEGN · NIVGELA · GVNIELAER.

LockCode answer: 7154

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4152: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 1, 5, 2 are in the code.
2. 9517: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 5, 1, 7 are in the code.
3. 3506: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 5, 0, 6 are in the code.
4. 8325: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 2, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.