#258 · Friday, 21 August 2026

Ladder answer

• TRACE 5 letters
• CREATOR 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DECORATOR 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TRACE sits inside CREATOR, which sits inside DECORATOR — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ATECR · TCOERAR · CORRODTAE.

LockCode answer: 3289

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3629: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 6, 2, 9 are in the code.
2. 2971: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 2, 9, 7, 1 are in the code.
3. 1478: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 4, 7, 8 are in the code.
4. 1943: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 9, 4, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.