#247 · Monday, 10 August 2026

Ladder answer

• SERVE 5 letters
• RESOLVE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• OURSELVES 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SERVE sits inside RESOLVE, which sits inside OURSELVES — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: VEESR · SEEOLRV · ESOVEURLS.

LockCode answer: 2159

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0154: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 1, 5, 4 are in the code.
2. 2643: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 6, 4, 3 are in the code.
3. 4798: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 7, 9, 8 are in the code.
4. 1089: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 0, 8, 9 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.