#266 · Saturday, 29 August 2026

Ladder answer

• TIMED 5 letters
• OMITTED 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MOTIVATED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TIMED sits inside OMITTED, which sits inside MOTIVATED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: MIDET · DETITMO · OMATDEVTI.

LockCode answer: 8451

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8561: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 5, 6, 1 are in the code.
2. 4029: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 0, 2, 9 are in the code.
3. 4927: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 9, 2, 7 are in the code.
4. 5917: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 9, 1, 7 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.

6 players finished LockCode; 83% solved it, averaging 5.2 guesses.

Lumen answer: SHIP

5 players finished Lumen; 100% solved it, averaging 1 guesses.