#91 · Saturday, 7 March 2026

Ladder answer

• STAND 5 letters
• INSTEAD 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SUSTAINED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STAND sits inside INSTEAD, which sits inside SUSTAINED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: SNDAT · TADSENI · SNSAIETUD.

LockCode answer: 3812

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7950 scored nothing, so 7, 9, 5, 0 are all out.
2. 2873: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 8, 7, 3 are in the code.
3. 6149: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 6, 1, 4, 9 are in the code.
4. 4639: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 6, 3, 9 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.