#245 · Saturday, 8 August 2026

Ladder answer

• SAINT 5 letters
• STATING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• GESTATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SAINT sits inside STATING, which sits inside GESTATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: TNASI · GITASNT · IOTTNAGSE.

LockCode answer: 8463

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8536: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 5, 3, 6 are in the code.
2. 4273: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 7, 3 are in the code.
3. 4213: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 1, 3 are in the code.
4. 0328: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 3, 2, 8 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.