#224 · Saturday, 18 July 2026

Ladder answer

• START 5 letters
• TRANSIT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• TRANSIENT 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

START sits inside TRANSIT, which sits inside TRANSIENT — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: SATRT · NRTAITS · NITTNRSAE.

LockCode answer: 1352

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1563: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 5, 6, 3 are in the code.
2. 8390: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 9, 0 are in the code.
3. 3819: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 8, 1, 9 are in the code.
4. 6831: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 8, 3, 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.