#135 · Monday, 20 April 2026

Ladder answer

• DECOR 5 letters
• COVERED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CONVERTED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DECOR sits inside COVERED, which sits inside CONVERTED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: DCOER · EVEDOCR · OCENVEDRT.

LockCode answer: 6820

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8062 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 7492: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 4, 9, 2 are in the code.
3. 1564: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 5, 6, 4 are in the code.
4. 6547: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 5, 4, 7 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.