#211 · Sunday, 5 July 2026

Ladder answer

• LOGIC 5 letters
• CLOSING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• NOSTALGIC 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LOGIC sits inside CLOSING, which sits inside NOSTALGIC — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IOGCL · NCLGIOS · LNICASGOT.

LockCode answer: 9327

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4927: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 9, 2, 7 are in the code.
2. 7954: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 9, 5, 4 are in the code.
3. 6572: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 5, 7, 2 are in the code.
4. 0673: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 6, 7, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.