#200 · Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Ladder answer

• ROUND 5 letters
• FOUNDER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• WONDERFUL 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ROUND sits inside FOUNDER, which sits inside WONDERFUL — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: DRUON · OUFDREN · RNDWOULEF.

LockCode answer: 2604

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2639: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 6, 3, 9 are in the code.
2. 9206: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 2, 0, 6 are in the code.
3. 4718: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 7, 1, 8 are in the code.
4. 6721: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 7, 2, 1 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.