#290 · Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Ladder answer

• CHAIR 5 letters
• CHARIOT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• ARTICHOKE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

CHAIR sits inside CHARIOT, which sits inside ARTICHOKE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: IHACR · RACHITO · KECIAHROT.

LockCode answer: 2591

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2751: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 7, 5, 1 are in the code.
2. 9643: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 6, 4, 3 are in the code.
3. 7218: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 7, 2, 1, 8 are in the code.
4. 5264: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 2, 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: UMBRELLA