#296 · Monday, 28 September 2026

Ladder answer

• ONION 5 letters
• OPINION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• POISONING 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ONION sits inside OPINION, which sits inside POISONING — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ONOIN · IPONINO · PNONIGSOI.

LockCode answer: 0617

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 4612: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 4, 6, 1, 2 are in the code.
2. 1392: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 3, 9, 2 are in the code.
3. 3261: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 2, 6, 1 are in the code.
4. 7495: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 7, 4, 9, 5 are in the code.
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.

Lumen answer: CAMERA