#219 · Monday, 13 July 2026

Ladder answer

• THEIR 5 letters
• NEITHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• HIBERNATE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

THEIR sits inside NEITHER, which sits inside HIBERNATE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EIHTR · TIENRHE · RINEEBAHT.

LockCode answer: 8456

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8096: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 0, 9, 6 are in the code.
2. 6518: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 5, 1, 8 are in the code.
3. 5617: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 6, 1, 7 are in the code.
4. 8543: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 5, 4, 3 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.