#291 · Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Ladder answer

• NIGHT 5 letters
• INSIGHT 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• SWITCHING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NIGHT sits inside INSIGHT, which sits inside SWITCHING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: GTHIN · HGTSNII · HITWGCISN.

LockCode answer: 2430

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0423 has every digit of the code — only the order is wrong.
2. 9178 scored nothing, so 9, 1, 7, 8 are all out.
3. 8617 scored nothing, so 8, 6, 1, 7 are all out.
4. 6871 scored nothing, so 6, 8, 7, 1 are all out.
5. After all clues, 8 codes remain possible.

With 8 candidates left, a good second guess splits them by feedback so the third guess is forced. Read the LockCode strategy guide for the method.

5 players finished LockCode; 100% solved it, averaging 4 guesses.

Lumen answer: ANCHOR