#234 · Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Ladder answer

• LEAST 5 letters
• LARGEST 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• STRANGELY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LEAST sits inside LARGEST, which sits inside STRANGELY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EASLT · SRLGEAT · RALGYSNTE.

LockCode answer: 1295

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1425: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 4, 2, 5 are in the code.
2. 3985: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 9, 8, 5 are in the code.
3. 6073 scored nothing, so 6, 0, 7, 3 are all out.
4. 9084: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 0, 8, 4 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.