#196 · Saturday, 20 June 2026

Ladder answer

• HEART 5 letters
• CHARTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CHARACTER 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

HEART sits inside CHARTER, which sits inside CHARACTER — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: HTARE · REACTHR · RCHRTECAA.

LockCode answer: 9642

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9641: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 6, 4, 1 are in the code.
2. 4193: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 1, 9, 3 are in the code.
3. 3619: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 1, 9 are in the code.
4. 3746: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 4, 6 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.