#298 · Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Ladder answer

• THERE 5 letters
• WEATHER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• WATERSHED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

THERE sits inside WEATHER, which sits inside WATERSHED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EREHT · TEERAWH · RDSHAWEET.

LockCode answer: 9854

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 1854: 3 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 3 of 1, 8, 5, 4 are in the code.
2. 8451: 1 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 3 of 8, 4, 5, 1 are in the code.
3. 1754: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 1, 7, 5, 4 are in the code.
4. 6415: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 4, 1, 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: CROWN