#185 · Tuesday, 9 June 2026

Ladder answer

• RANGE 5 letters
• HEARING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• GATHERING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

RANGE sits inside HEARING, which sits inside GATHERING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ANEGR · ERGNAIH · GGHTNAIRE.

LockCode answer: 8124

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8021: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 0, 2, 1 are in the code.
2. 1328: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 3, 2, 8 are in the code.
3. 0612: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 6, 1, 2 are in the code.
4. 0127: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 1, 2, 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.