#285 · Thursday, 17 September 2026

Ladder answer

• SCENE 5 letters
• SINCERE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RESIDENCE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

SCENE sits inside SINCERE, which sits inside RESIDENCE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ENECS · RNEEICS · CNEERDESI.

LockCode answer: 8591

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 3607 scored nothing, so 3, 6, 0, 7 are all out.
2. 3859: 0 in the right place, 3 in the wrong place — 3 of 3, 8, 5, 9 are in the code.
3. 1820: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 8, 2, 0 are in the code.
4. 2349: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 3, 4, 9 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: WINDMILL