#113 · Sunday, 29 March 2026

Ladder answer

• DRIVE 5 letters
• DIVERSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DESERVING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DRIVE sits inside DIVERSE, which sits inside DESERVING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: DREVI · DESRVEI · EVRNDEGIS.

LockCode answer: 9736

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5673: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 5, 6, 7, 3 are in the code.
2. 3296: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 2, 9, 6 are in the code.
3. 8029: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 0, 2, 9 are in the code.
4. 2148 scored nothing, so 2, 1, 4, 8 are all out.
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.