#255 · Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Ladder answer

• DRIVE 5 letters
• REVISED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• OVERSIZED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DRIVE sits inside REVISED, which sits inside OVERSIZED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IDERV · RVDESEI · EOZRDIVES.

LockCode answer: 0684

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4680 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 2795 scored nothing, so 2, 7, 9, 5 are all out.
3. 7531 scored nothing, so 7, 5, 3, 1 are all out.
4. 5603: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 6, 0, 3 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.