#207 · Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Ladder answer

• GIVEN 5 letters
• LEAVING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• VIGILANCE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GIVEN sits inside LEAVING, which sits inside VIGILANCE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: INVGE · LGNAVIE · IINELVCGA.

LockCode answer: 5871

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8172: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 1, 7, 2 are in the code.
2. 6241: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 2, 4, 1 are in the code.
3. 0124: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 2, 4 are in the code.
4. 6735: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 7, 3, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.