#233 · Monday, 27 July 2026

Ladder answer

• GRAND 5 letters
• DRAWING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• WANDERING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRAND sits inside DRAWING, which sits inside WANDERING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: AGDRN · AGRNWDI · DWGINARNE.

LockCode answer: 5869

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4689: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 4, 6, 8, 9 are in the code.
2. 3769: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 6, 9 are in the code.
3. 6930: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 9, 3, 0 are in the code.
4. 3816: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 8, 1, 6 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.