#242 · Wednesday, 5 August 2026

Ladder answer

• SCORE 5 letters
• CROSSED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DISCOURSE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SCORE sits inside CROSSED, which sits inside DISCOURSE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OSCRE · RSOECSD · SDEUSCOIR.

LockCode answer: 7932

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7263: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 2, 6, 3 are in the code.
2. 0682: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 6, 8, 2 are in the code.
3. 0126: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 2, 6 are in the code.
4. 3605: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 6, 0, 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.