#186 · Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Ladder answer

• CLAIM 5 letters
• MUSICAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MASCULINE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CLAIM sits inside MUSICAL, which sits inside MASCULINE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: MILAC · CAIUSML · NLCAUSMEI.

LockCode answer: 7438

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7435: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 4, 3, 5 are in the code.
2. 5307: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 3, 0, 7 are in the code.
3. 0127: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 2, 7 are in the code.
4. 9412: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 4, 1, 2 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.