This padlock riddle is going viral on Twitter and I’m so stuck my head hurts

Right now there’s a padlock riddle going viral on Twitter, and either I’m missing something, or it’s really really hard. The question asks you to work out the code to unlock the padlock, giving you a selection of clues about the digits it includes.

People in the comments have been going wild for it, and are mainly fighting over what they think the answer could be. It’s massively confusing, and I’ve re-read the clues so many times I’ve got a bit of a headache.

Take a look, and see if you can crack it. Here are some of the ideas from Twitter of what the solution could be, and of course, there is a solution from the one and only ChatGPT – so you can sleep at night.

Here’s the padlock riddle going around on Twitter right now:

The riddle asks you to try and work out a padlock code, starting with the clue of 682. With this combination, one digit is right and in the correct place. Then 614 is tried, and one digit is right, but in the wrong place. Next it’s 206 – two digits are right but both in the wrong place. With 738 all digits are wrong and finally 380, where one digit is right but in the wrong place.

With these clues, you should be able to decipher the correct combination to unlock the padlock. Twitter is pretty divided, but one answer is being repeated in the comments the most.

Some people on Twitter think it could be 062 and others are saying 012. However the most common answer is 042. Can you work out the answer? What did you get?

What actually is the answer to the padlock riddle?

Riddle no more, because one guy has put the question into ChatGPT and it gave the answer as 042. It’s broken down the clues one by one, to give a solid result.

AI really is going to be doing everything for us soon, huh?

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• This apparently ‘simple’ maths quiz question is going viral and now my head hurts

• What is 2x+6=10? The maths equation scrambling everyone’s brains right now

• Take this maths test and we’ll tell you what qualification you’d get now