#102 · Wednesday, 18 March 2026

Ladder answer

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

SUITE sits inside STUDIED, which sits inside DISRUPTED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ESITU · TUSEIDD · ETIPDUSRD.

LockCode answer: 5932

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7932: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 9, 3, 2 are in the code.
2. 4327: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 3, 2, 7 are in the code.
3. 4098: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 0, 9, 8 are in the code.
4. 1209: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 2, 0, 9 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 5 codes remain possible.

With 5 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.