#187 · Thursday, 11 June 2026

Ladder answer

• GREAT 5 letters
• LARGEST 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SLAUGHTER 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GREAT sits inside LARGEST, which sits inside SLAUGHTER — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TRAGE · ESGTRAL · THARGUESL.

LockCode answer: 2789

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4289: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 2, 8, 9 are in the code.
2. 9481: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 4, 8, 1 are in the code.
3. 0128: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 1, 2, 8 are in the code.
4. 8670: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 7, 0 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.