#97 · Friday, 13 March 2026

Ladder answer

• CABLE 5 letters
• BALANCE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• BARCELONA 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CABLE sits inside BALANCE, which sits inside BARCELONA — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: LACBE · NEACABL · BCNAELAOR.

LockCode answer: 3051

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3758: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 7, 5, 8 are in the code.
2. 0421: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 4, 2, 1 are in the code.
3. 5687: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 5, 6, 8, 7 are in the code.
4. 4317: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 3, 1, 7 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 7 codes remain possible.

With 7 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.