#231 · Saturday, 25 July 2026

Ladder answer

• NOISE 5 letters
• VERSION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SOVEREIGN 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NOISE sits inside VERSION, which sits inside SOVEREIGN — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OISNE · NIORESV · OVENSGRIE.

LockCode answer: 2184

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3148: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 1, 4, 8 are in the code.
2. 6594: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 5, 9, 4 are in the code.
3. 9046: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 0, 4, 6 are in the code.
4. 4630: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 6, 3, 0 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.