#254 · Monday, 17 August 2026

Ladder answer

• ENTER 5 letters
• INTEGER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INTEGRATE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ENTER sits inside INTEGER, which sits inside INTEGRATE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ERNET · ENIRTEG · EERANTGTI.

LockCode answer: 2850

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5803: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 8, 0, 3 are in the code.
2. 3459: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 4, 5, 9 are in the code.
3. 1089: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 0, 8, 9 are in the code.
4. 0761: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 6, 1 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.