#107 · Monday, 23 March 2026

Ladder answer

• TIMER 5 letters
• INTERIM 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MIDWINTER 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TIMER sits inside INTERIM, which sits inside MIDWINTER — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: RMETI · ITIMNRE · DITNIMEWR.

LockCode answer: 0962

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6203: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 6, 2, 0, 3 are in the code.
2. 4532: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 5, 3, 2 are in the code.
3. 7654: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 6, 5, 4 are in the code.
4. 7042: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 0, 4, 2 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.