#271 · Thursday, 3 September 2026

Ladder answer

• GRAND 5 letters
• DRAWING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• REWARDING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRAND sits inside DRAWING, which sits inside REWARDING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ANDRG · AINGRWD · AWRGRIDEN.

LockCode answer: 0789

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8739: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 7, 3, 9 are in the code.
2. 5893: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 8, 9, 3 are in the code.
3. 1062: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 0, 6, 2 are in the code.
4. 7518: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 5, 1, 8 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.

5 players finished LockCode; 60% solved it, averaging 9 guesses.

Lumen answer: CROWN