#236 · Thursday, 30 July 2026

Ladder answer

• LATER 5 letters
• NEUTRAL 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• UNRELATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LATER sits inside NEUTRAL, which sits inside UNRELATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: LTERA · NRULTAE · TDEERUALN.

LockCode answer: 6284

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5682: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 6, 8, 2 are in the code.
2. 6507: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 5, 0, 7 are in the code.
3. 5761: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 7, 6, 1 are in the code.
4. 0427: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 4, 2, 7 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.