#212 · Monday, 6 July 2026

Ladder answer

• TRICK 5 letters
• THICKER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ARTICHOKE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRICK sits inside THICKER, which sits inside ARTICHOKE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TCRIK · EHTKCIR · TAREOHKCI.

LockCode answer: 4921

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4980: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 9, 8, 0 are in the code.
2. 3912: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 9, 1, 2 are in the code.
3. 0854: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 8, 5, 4 are in the code.
4. 4916: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 9, 1, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 2 codes remain possible.

With 2 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.