#226 · Monday, 20 July 2026

Ladder answer

• CRANE 5 letters
• SCANNER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RESONANCE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CRANE sits inside SCANNER, which sits inside RESONANCE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: CAERN · RESCNAN · CSNEORNEA.

LockCode answer: 5704

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5803: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 8, 0, 3 are in the code.
2. 1847: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 8, 4, 7 are in the code.
3. 3650: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 5, 0 are in the code.
4. 1273: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 2, 7, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.