| 100% | SEAL | 4 | Aquatic mammal named Sammy who leaves the zoo for a day in a kids' classic by Syd Hoff |
| 32% | SATAN | 5 | Whom Lil Nas X gives a lap dance, in the music video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” |
| 30% | SULU | 4 | "Star Trek" character who was named for a sea in the Philippines |
| 30% | ORCA | 4 | The boat in "Jaws," named for a large marine mammal |
| 29% | RIIS | 4 | Jacob for whom a park in the Rockaways is named |
| 29% | THOR | 4 | Norse god for whom a day of the week is named |
| 29% | UNPERSON | 8 | Someone who's been erased by the Party, in a classic dystopian novel |
| 29% | RAY | 3 | ___ Bourque, former NHL player who holds the record for Most Assists by a defenseman in the entire career with 1,169 assists |
| 28% | BBALL | 5 | A casual name for the sport played by teams in 16a: Hyph. |
| 28% | ELLA | 4 | Fitzgerald who was the inspiration for a Barbie in 2020 |
| 28% | CURRY | 5 | Stephen ___, basketballer who holds the record for most 3-point field goals by a point guard in a NBA season |
| 27% | SHEEN | 5 | Mr. ___, animated mascot for a cleaning brand of the same name who debuted in the late '50s |
| 27% | ENYA | 4 | Singer for whom a fish native to the Orinoco was named in 2017 |
| 27% | DANIEL | 6 | ___ Day-Lewis, actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the movie "My Left Foot" in 1989 |
| 27% | ROAN | 4 | "The Strawberry ___," classic western song written by cowboy Curley Fletcher fitting for a "National Day of the Cowboy" playlist |
| 27% | DAVIDBECKHAM | 12 | English soccer star who left a Spanish club to play for the LA Galaxy in 2007: 2 wds. |
| 27% | THAW | 4 | Leave in the fridge for a bit |
| 27% | PEGGYWHITSON | 12 | NASA astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 289 days, 5 hrs, 1 min: 2 wds. |
| 27% | CAHN | 4 | Sammy —, lyricist who won an Oscar for Three Coins in a Fountain |
| 27% | WEDNESDAY | 9 | ___ Addams, character named after the day following Tuesday and played by Jenna Ortega who has a perfect poker face |
| 27% | ALAR | 4 | Alternate name for the chemical Daminozide, used as a pesticide on fruit until banned by the EPA in 1989 |
| 27% | NOEL | 4 | (2/3) Pere ___ is the name he goes by in France, which is also a word for a carol |
| 27% | MARKBRUNELL | 11 | Lefty NFL quarterback who shares the record for consecutive completions in a game: 2 wds. |
| 27% | JENNIFERHUDSON | 14 | Singer who won the Oscar for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for "Dreamgirls": 2 wds. |
| 27% | RITAMORENO | 10 | EGOT winner who stars in the remake of "One Day at a Time," the original version of which was produced by 55-Across (2 wds.) |
| 26% | CAHN | 4 | Sammy who wrote the lyrics to "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" |
| 26% | WREATH | 6 | (1/10) "We'll decorate for Christmas over the next few days in DTC! Start by placing a ___ on the door!" (Yule garland) |
| 26% | ROAD | 4 | ___ runner, "Looney Tunes" bird who inspired the name for a spider species |
| 26% | BRYANCRANSTON | 13 | "Network" actor who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play in 2019 (2 wds.) |
| 26% | RODEO | 5 | Workplace for a clown who in order to get the job done, sometimes has to take the bull by the horns |