#223 · Friday, 17 July 2026

Ladder answer

• ANGER 5 letters
• NIGERIA 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RETAINING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ANGER sits inside NIGERIA, which sits inside RETAINING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NAGER · IGANERI · AIENTNGRI.

LockCode answer: 5138

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5018: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 0, 1, 8 are in the code.
2. 7496 scored nothing, so 7, 4, 9, 6 are all out.
3. 4326: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 3, 2, 6 are in the code.
4. 4281: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 8, 1 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.