#275 · Monday, 7 September 2026

Ladder answer

• DENSE 5 letters
• ENDORSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SHORTENED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

DENSE sits inside ENDORSE, which sits inside SHORTENED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EEDSN · DRNOEES · ODHERSTNE.

LockCode answer: 1925

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 8935: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 9, 3, 5 are in the code.
2. 8054: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 0, 5, 4 are in the code.
3. 4085: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 0, 8, 5 are in the code.
4. 4205: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 2, 0, 5 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.

Lumen answer: PADLOCK