#257 · Thursday, 20 August 2026

Ladder answer

• FINAL 5 letters
• FALLING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• NIGHTFALL 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

FINAL sits inside FALLING, which sits inside NIGHTFALL — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NIAFL · IGAFLLN · LGLHTINAF.

LockCode answer: 2503

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2713: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 7, 1, 3 are in the code.
2. 1749 scored nothing, so 1, 7, 4, 9 are all out.
3. 2714: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 7, 1, 4 are in the code.
4. 0861: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 8, 6, 1 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.