#99 · Sunday, 15 March 2026

Ladder answer

• STATE 5 letters
• STARTER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RESTRAINT 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STATE sits inside STARTER, which sits inside RESTRAINT — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ETAST · TASRETR · RTRSANTEI.

LockCode answer: 7641

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8941: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 9, 4, 1 are in the code.
2. 8407: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 4, 0, 7 are in the code.
3. 1807: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 8, 0, 7 are in the code.
4. 1354: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 3, 5, 4 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.