#273 · Saturday, 5 September 2026

Ladder answer

• GRAND 5 letters
• TRADING 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DEPARTING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

GRAND sits inside TRADING, which sits inside DEPARTING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: GARND · DGRINAT · EPTADIGRN.

LockCode answer: 9204

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 7290: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 7, 2, 9, 0 are in the code.
2. 9825: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 8, 2, 5 are in the code.
3. 4067: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 0, 6, 7 are in the code.
4. 0157: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 5, 7 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.

Lumen answer: PLANE