#286 · Friday, 18 September 2026

Ladder answer

• MONEY 5 letters
• ANYMORE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• MOMENTARY 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

MONEY sits inside ANYMORE, which sits inside MOMENTARY — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: MYEON · MRYEANO · MNAREMTYO.

LockCode answer: 5246

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 5940: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 9, 4, 0 are in the code.
2. 4160: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 1, 6, 0 are in the code.
3. 6195: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 1, 9, 5 are in the code.
4. 9635: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 6, 3, 5 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: CLOVER