#307 · Friday, 9 October 2026

Ladder answer

• LIVED 5 letters
• DELIVER 7 letters — adds two letters to the rung below
• PREVAILED 9 letters — adds two letters to the rung below

LIVED sits inside DELIVER, which sits inside PREVAILED — the two letters added at each rung are the whole puzzle. Scrambles shown that day: EIVDL · IEEVRDL · LAPEVRIED.

LockCode answer: 9256

The clues and what each one tells you:

1. 2856: 2 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 3 of 2, 8, 5, 6 are in the code.
2. 1394: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 1, 3, 9, 4 are in the code.
3. 3947: 0 in the right place, 1 in the wrong place — 1 of 3, 9, 4, 7 are in the code.
4. 8627: 0 in the right place, 2 in the wrong place — 2 of 8, 6, 2, 7 are in the code.
5. After all clues, 10 codes remain possible.

With 10 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: OWL