#301 · Saturday, 3 October 2026

Ladder answer

• ACTOR 5 letters
• CREATOR 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• DECORATOR 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

ACTOR sits inside CREATOR, which sits inside DECORATOR — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: OTARC · RTCOREA · RTECDOOAR.

LockCode answer: 6941

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 6928: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 6, 9, 2, 8 are in the code.
2. 8329: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 8, 3, 2, 9 are in the code.
3. 2839: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 8, 3, 9 are in the code.
4. 9358: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 9, 3, 5, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 12 codes remain possible.

With 12 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: FISH