#261 · Monday, 24 August 2026

Ladder answer

• SATIN 5 letters
• SATANIC 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ANARCHIST 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SATIN sits inside SATANIC, which sits inside ANARCHIST — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: AITSN · NATCISA · AIARTNSHC.

LockCode answer: 7324

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7392: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 3, 9, 2 are in the code.
2. 7450: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 4, 5, 0 are in the code.
3. 5618 scored nothing, so 5, 6, 1, 8 are all out.
4. 8205: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 2, 0, 5 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.

Lumen answer: ARROW