#217 · Saturday, 11 July 2026

Ladder answer

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

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

LockCode answer: 0862

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5860: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 8, 6, 0 are in the code.
2. 8043: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 0, 4, 3 are in the code.
3. 6405: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 4, 0, 5 are in the code.
4. 8019: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 0, 1, 9 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.