#297 · Tuesday, 29 September 2026

Ladder answer

• COUNT 5 letters
• AUCTION 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• EDUCATION 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

COUNT sits inside AUCTION, which sits inside EDUCATION — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: NCTUO · TUCIONA · AODEINUCT.

LockCode answer: 0617

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 0639: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 0, 6, 3, 9 are in the code.
2. 5640: 1 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 2 of 5, 6, 4, 0 are in the code.
3. 9768: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 7, 6, 8 are in the code.
4. 4321: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 4, 3, 2, 1 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: NOTE