#248 · Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Ladder answer

• DENSE 5 letters
• DEFENSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DEFENSIVE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DENSE sits inside DEFENSE, which sits inside DEFENSIVE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: DNSEE · DESENFE · ENEDFSEIV.

LockCode answer: 3847

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8349: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 3, 4, 9 are in the code.
2. 8457: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 4, 5, 7 are in the code.
3. 4681: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 6, 8, 1 are in the code.
4. 4298: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 9, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.