#252 · Saturday, 15 August 2026

Ladder answer

• SUITE 5 letters
• STUDIED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DISTURBED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SUITE sits inside STUDIED, which sits inside DISTURBED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: SIUET · TUDSDEI · BTREUSDID.

LockCode answer: 9084

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9148: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 1, 4, 8 are in the code.
2. 9173: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 1, 7, 3 are in the code.
3. 1948: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 9, 4, 8 are in the code.
4. 9724: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 7, 2, 4 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.