#83 · Friday, 27 February 2026

Ladder answer

• PRICE 5 letters
• RECEIPT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RECEPTION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PRICE sits inside RECEIPT, which sits inside RECEPTION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IERPC · ITECEPR · ICERPTENO.

LockCode answer: 7908

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7958: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 9, 5, 8 are in the code.
2. 8597: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 5, 9, 7 are in the code.
3. 8567: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 5, 6, 7 are in the code.
4. 7613: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 6, 1, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 6 codes remain possible.

With 6 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.