| 100% | DEAR | 4 | Common word to start a letter with |
| 58% | DEAR | 4 | Word that a letter might start with |
| 52% | DEAR | 4 | Starting word in a letter to someone you love |
| 52% | WHYS | 4 | Common words at the start of a lot of sentences that my four year old comes out with |
| 51% | SPELLING | 8 | Word with 11a, to refer to a contest where you might hear some letters recited |
| 50% | UPON | 4 | *Pick the words to start a fairy tale! "Once ___ a time ..." |
| 48% | DAWN | 4 | Common time to start on a trip |
| 48% | ROLL | 4 | With 44- and 76-Across, way to put legislators on record ... or the start, middle and end of a word ladder |
| 47% | DANKE | 5 | Word to which a common reply is "Bitteschön" |
| 47% | SURPRISE | 8 | Word shouted to start a party |
| 47% | DEARSANTA | 9 | Start of a letter with Christmas wishes |
| 46% | LOOSELEAF | 9 | Kind of paper ... and a hint to a sequence, each starting with a different letter, found in four other puzzle answers |
| 46% | ASKS | 4 | Starts a sentence with a word like "who" or "where" |
| 46% | ASKS | 4 | Starts a sentence with a word like "What" or "Why" |
| 46% | DEAR | 4 | Word that often starts a letter |
| 46% | ABUT | 4 | To have a common boundary with |
| 46% | IDO | 3 | Words with a ring to them? |
| 46% | ISAIDYES | 8 | Words with a ring to them? |
| 46% | ISAID | 5 | Words starting a response to "What?" |
| 46% | UPON | 4 | Pick the words to start your fairy tale! (1/3) "Once ___ a time..." |
| 45% | LODGE | 5 | Common word for a rustic retreat or to file a complaint? |
| 45% | SLATE | 5 | "I would like to start over with a clean ___" |
| 45% | MARRYME | 7 | Words with a nice ring to them? |
| 45% | HIMOM | 5 | Words with a wave to the camera |
| 45% | APTAGRAM | 8 | Word or phrase whose letters can be rearranged to form another with a similar meaning, such as “moon starer” for “astronomer” |
| 45% | NOT | 3 | Negating word that, if parsed with a space after the second letter, may help to understand nine Across answers |
| 44% | ANAGRAM | 7 | Letters of a word rearranged to form another |
| 44% | DEARANN | 7 | Start of a letter to Landers |
| 44% | VIS | 3 | Letters common to the start of "vision" and "visor" |
| 44% | TEST | 4 | Word with stress, or a common source of stress |