#228 · Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Ladder answer

• LATER 5 letters
• LITERAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REINSTALL 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LATER sits inside LITERAL, which sits inside REINSTALL — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TALER · LIERLAT · SLAITRNLE.

LockCode answer: 1428

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4781: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 7, 8, 1 are in the code.
2. 8024: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 0, 2, 4 are in the code.
3. 9835: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 8, 3, 5 are in the code.
4. 0542: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 5, 4, 2 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.