#94 · Tuesday, 10 March 2026

Ladder answer

• GRAIN 5 letters
• MARKING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MARKETING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRAIN sits inside MARKING, which sits inside MARKETING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IANGR · NIAGKRM · TRKNEIGMA.

LockCode answer: 8509

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8524: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 5, 2, 4 are in the code.
2. 2463 scored nothing, so 2, 4, 6, 3 are all out.
3. 5432: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 4, 3, 2 are in the code.
4. 8206: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 2, 0, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 3 codes remain possible.

With 3 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.