#123 · Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Ladder answer

• LEAVE 5 letters
• SEVERAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• VERSATILE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LEAVE sits inside SEVERAL, which sits inside VERSATILE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EAVEL · ARSELVE · TVISEERAL.

LockCode answer: 6724

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2734: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 7, 3, 4 are in the code.
2. 5678: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 6, 7, 8 are in the code.
3. 4379: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 3, 7, 9 are in the code.
4. 5280: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 2, 8, 0 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.