#267 · Sunday, 30 August 2026

Ladder answer

• PROOF 5 letters
• ROOFTOP 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PORTFOLIO 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

PROOF sits inside ROOFTOP, which sits inside PORTFOLIO — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: FORPO · TOOFRPO · ORFTILOPO.

5 players finished the Ladder; 100% solved it, averaging 4.2 guesses.

LockCode answer: 1853

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1903: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 9, 0, 3 are in the code.
2. 4509: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 5, 0, 9 are in the code.
3. 4590: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 5, 9, 0 are in the code.
4. 4376: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 3, 7, 6 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.

9 players finished LockCode; 100% solved it, averaging 3.1 guesses.

Lumen answer: NOTE

16 players finished Lumen; 100% solved it, averaging 1.2 guesses.