#229 · Thursday, 23 July 2026

Ladder answer

• GREAT 5 letters
• STRANGE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SIGNATURE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GREAT sits inside STRANGE, which sits inside SIGNATURE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ERATG · GERANTS · NITGAESRU.

LockCode answer: 2631

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2651: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 6, 5, 1 are in the code.
2. 1892: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 8, 9, 2 are in the code.
3. 6925: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 9, 2, 5 are in the code.
4. 7325: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 3, 2, 5 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 4 codes remain possible.

With 4 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.