#227 · Tuesday, 21 July 2026

Ladder answer

• NOTED 5 letters
• NOTICED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• CONTINUED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NOTED sits inside NOTICED, which sits inside CONTINUED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EODNT · DCEINOT · TCNEDINOU.

LockCode answer: 6381

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7391: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 3, 9, 1 are in the code.
2. 6720: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 7, 2, 0 are in the code.
3. 7026: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 0, 2, 6 are in the code.
4. 4069: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 0, 6, 9 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.