#265 · Friday, 28 August 2026

Ladder answer

• GIANT 5 letters
• BOATING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• OBTAINING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GIANT sits inside BOATING, which sits inside OBTAINING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: GNTIA · GBIATNO · GBINNIOTA.

16 players finished the Ladder; 88% solved it, averaging 4.4 guesses.

LockCode answer: 9780

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9820: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 8, 2, 0 are in the code.
2. 7451: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 4, 5, 1 are in the code.
3. 8653: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 6, 5, 3 are in the code.
4. 8603: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 0, 3 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 9 codes remain possible.

With 9 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.

19 players finished LockCode; 84% solved it, averaging 4.6 guesses.

Lumen answer: ROCKET

14 players finished Lumen; 100% solved it, averaging 1.4 guesses.