#287 · Saturday, 19 September 2026

Ladder answer

• TONER 5 letters
• CONCERT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INCORRECT 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

TONER sits inside CONCERT, which sits inside INCORRECT — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EROTN · NOTCREC · CERINTORC.

LockCode answer: 1372

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2357: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 3, 5, 7 are in the code.
2. 1089: 1 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 0, 8, 9 are in the code.
3. 6940 scored nothing, so 6, 9, 4, 0 are all out.
4. 0164: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 1, 6, 4 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: OWL