#218 · Sunday, 12 July 2026

Ladder answer

• DECOR 5 letters
• PROCEED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PROJECTED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DECOR sits inside PROCEED, which sits inside PROJECTED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EDROC · PCEORDE · TDOCERPEJ.

LockCode answer: 9485

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8594 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 8302: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 0, 2 are in the code.
3. 8624: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 2, 4 are in the code.
4. 6150: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 1, 5, 0 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.