#264 · Thursday, 27 August 2026

Ladder answer

• INTRO 5 letters
• SORTING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RESTORING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

INTRO sits inside SORTING, which sits inside RESTORING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NTIOR · SIGTRON · ESOTRRNIG.

22 players finished the Ladder; 91% solved it, averaging 7.2 guesses.

LockCode answer: 9386

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4376: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 3, 7, 6 are in the code.
2. 0946: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 9, 4, 6 are in the code.
3. 4360: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 3, 6, 0 are in the code.
4. 2013: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 0, 1, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 10 codes remain possible.

With 10 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.

44 players finished LockCode; 77% solved it, averaging 5.7 guesses.

Lumen answer: SHIP

29 players finished Lumen; 100% solved it, averaging 1.1 guesses.