#249 · Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Ladder answer

• GRAIN 5 letters
• ORGANIC 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ACCORDING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRAIN sits inside ORGANIC, which sits inside ACCORDING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RAGIN · NOIGRAC · ICRDGCAON.

LockCode answer: 3694

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7094: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 0, 9, 4 are in the code.
2. 0364: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 0, 3, 6, 4 are in the code.
3. 0945: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 9, 4, 5 are in the code.
4. 9174: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 1, 7, 4 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.