#177 · Monday, 1 June 2026

Ladder answer

• BREAD 5 letters
• DURABLE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• BOULEVARD 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

BREAD sits inside DURABLE, which sits inside BOULEVARD — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RBEDA · REALDUB · DUORVALBE.

LockCode answer: 1894

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3694: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 9, 4 are in the code.
2. 6984: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 9, 8, 4 are in the code.
3. 5283: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 2, 8, 3 are in the code.
4. 4806: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 8, 0, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 2 codes remain possible.

With 2 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.