#109 · Wednesday, 25 March 2026

Ladder answer

• MOTOR 5 letters
• MONITOR 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• FORMATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MOTOR sits inside MONITOR, which sits inside FORMATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OMROT · ROMNOIT · TRONAFOMI.

LockCode answer: 1793

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7093: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 0, 9, 3 are in the code.
2. 6923: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 9, 2, 3 are in the code.
3. 8356: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 5, 6 are in the code.
4. 7548: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 5, 4, 8 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.