#303 · Monday, 5 October 2026

Ladder answer

• STEIN 5 letters
• INTENSE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• INTENSIVE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

STEIN sits inside INTENSE, which sits inside INTENSIVE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: ISTNE · IEESTNN · NETVNSIEI.

LockCode answer: 9046

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9065: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 9, 0, 6, 5 are in the code.
2. 1483: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 4, 8, 3 are in the code.
3. 0782: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 0, 7, 8, 2 are in the code.
4. 1978: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 9, 7, 8 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 11 codes remain possible.

With 11 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: LADDER