#225 · Sunday, 19 July 2026

Ladder answer

• NIGHT 5 letters
• HITTING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• NIGHTTIME 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NIGHT sits inside HITTING, which sits inside NIGHTTIME — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IHTGN · HNIGTIT · IMETIHGTN.

LockCode answer: 8973

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8903: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 9, 0, 3 are in the code.
2. 7152: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 1, 5, 2 are in the code.
3. 7064: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 0, 6, 4 are in the code.
4. 1364: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 3, 6, 4 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.