#89 · Thursday, 5 March 2026

Ladder answer

• MARRY 5 letters
• PRIMARY 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PRIMARILY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MARRY sits inside PRIMARY, which sits inside PRIMARILY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ARYMR · PMYAIRR · LIAIPRMRY.

LockCode answer: 6759

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3709: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 0, 9 are in the code.
2. 6071: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 0, 7, 1 are in the code.
3. 7016: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 0, 1, 6 are in the code.
4. 2381 scored nothing, so 2, 3, 8, 1 are all out.
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.