| 100% | LOOM | 4 | Appear, missing the first bloom |
| 56% | DEBUT | 5 | Appear for the first time |
| 55% | SEXTONBLAKE | 11 | Fictional detective who first appeared in 1893 story The Missing Millionaire by Hal Meredeth aka Harry Blyth |
| 52% | NINE | 4 | When the first "Peanuts" comic appeared |
| 52% | EAST | 4 | Where the first shaft of light appears |
| 51% | MARIO | 5 | The first part missing in the author's name ___ Vargas ___ |
| 50% | OPED | 4 | The first one in The New York Times appeared in 1970 |
| 50% | BETTE | 5 | The Divine Miss M's first name |
| 49% | COUCHGAG | 8 | The first one appeared in the opening sequence for "Bart the Genius" |
| 49% | MCMXIII | 7 | Year in which the first crossword appeared, on December 21 |
| 49% | NEWYORK | 7 | With 20-Across, where the first-ever crossword puzzle appeared |
| 48% | SHEL | 4 | First name on the cover of The Missing Piece |
| 48% | VICARAGE | 8 | The Murder at the __, Miss Marple's first mystery |
| 48% | HARLEY | 6 | First name of the Joker's girlfriend, Miss Quinn |
| 48% | ACTI | 4 | When the witches first appear in "Macbeth" |
| 46% | ALMIRA | 6 | First name of cruel Miss Gulch in The Wizard of Oz |
| 46% | SNL | 3 | NBC show where the Coneheads first appeared, for short |
| 46% | XENA | 4 | Character who first appeared in "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" |
| 45% | NAOMAMPBELL | 11 | *Woman who was the first Black model to appear on the cover of Time |
| 45% | STEPDOWN | 8 | Anne Fletcher misses the mark with this first film in a dance franchise (2006) |
| 45% | DANDY | 5 | The —, British comic featuring Korky the Cat that first appeared in 1937 |
| 45% | GEORGESMILEY | 12 | Fictional spy who first appeared in "Call for the Dead" |
| 45% | SNL | 3 | NBC skit show where the Coneheads first appeared, for short |
| 44% | RUN | 3 | ___-D.M.C., the first rap group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone |
| 44% | FLASH | 5 | The —, comic book character, alter ego Jay Garrick, who first appeared in 1940 |
| 44% | WHICH | 5 | Publication of the Consumers' Association that first appeared in October 1957 |
| 43% | NAS | 3 | Rapper who first appeared on "Live at the Barbeque," by Main Source |
| 43% | ELLIOT | 6 | Page who became the first openly trans man to appear on the cover of Time magazine (2021) |
| 43% | RETTON | 6 | Gymnast Mary Lou who was the first woman to appear on the front of a Wheaties box |
| 42% | YOSEMITESAM | 11 | He first appeared in the cartoon "Hare Trigger" |