#305 · Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Ladder answer

• NIECE 5 letters
• LICENCE 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• RECONCILE 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

NIECE sits inside LICENCE, which sits inside RECONCILE — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: CEIEN · IEENCCL · NREECCIOL.

LockCode answer: 6572

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 9573: 2 in the right place, 0 in the wrong place — 2 of 9, 5, 7, 3 are in the code.
2. 8624: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 2, 4 are in the code.
3. 3624: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 3, 6, 2, 4 are in the code.
4. 2410: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 2, 4, 1, 0 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 9 codes remain possible.

With 9 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: CLOVER