#183 · Sunday, 7 June 2026

Ladder answer

• COURT 5 letters
• COUNTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INTRODUCE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

COURT sits inside COUNTER, which sits inside INTRODUCE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TUOCR · NUTROEC · OITCDRNUE.

LockCode answer: 7630

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7206: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 2, 0, 6 are in the code.
2. 8340: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 3, 4, 0 are in the code.
3. 1972: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 9, 7, 2 are in the code.
4. 5908: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 9, 0, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.