| 100% | YANNI | 5 | Composer Chryssomallis, who wrote "Seven Billion Dreams" in 2015 for NASA's 15th anniversary of the ISS |
| 30% | SAMSMITH | 8 | Singer who wrote The Writing's on the Wall in 2015 |
| 30% | RAVEL | 5 | Composer Maurice of "Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major" written for one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein |
| 29% | POE | 3 | Who wrote of "sorrow for the lost Lenore" |
| 29% | JEROME | 6 | Composer Kern who wrote the music for "Show Boat" |
| 28% | ELFMAN | 6 | Composer Danny who wrote the theme music for "The Simpsons" |
| 28% | ABBIE | 5 | Hoffman who wrote "Revolution for the Hell of It" |
| 28% | ALONSO | 6 | Pete of the N.Y. Mets who broke Aaron Judge's rookie record for home runs in 2019 |
| 28% | JKROWLING | 9 | British novelist and creator of characters in 8a who also wrote the screenplay for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them": 3 wds. |
| 28% | SONDHEIM | 8 | Composer Stephen, who wrote Send in the Clowns |
| 28% | MOZART | 6 | Composer who wrote the Prague Symphony in 1786 |
| 27% | PUTDOWNTHEPHONE | 15 | Advice for someone who's in the middle of deeply embarrassing themselves on social media |
| 27% | KASDAN | 6 | Lawrence who wrote the screenplay for "Raiders of the Lost Ark" |
| 27% | AIMEE | 5 | Mann who wrote most of the songs for the movie "Magnolia" |
| 27% | ODETS | 5 | Playwright who wrote the screenplay for The Sweet Smell of Success |
| 27% | MANBOOKERPRIZE | 14 | Award won by Marlon James, in 2015, for “A Brief History of Seven Killings” |
| 27% | IRVINGBERLIN | 12 | Composer who wrote the songs for 17-Across (2 wds.) |
| 27% | AGNEW | 5 | For whom Safire wrote the words "nattering nabobs of negativism" |
| 27% | ADAMLEVINE | 10 | Singer who appears nude in the video of Maroon 5's 2015 single, "This Summer": 2 wds. |
| 27% | TBOONE | 6 | Millionaire oilman Pickens who wrote "The First Billion is the Hardest" in 2008 |
| 27% | AYNRAND | 7 | Author who wrote "Anyone who fights for the future, lives in it today" |
| 27% | KGB | 3 | Employer of the Bond girl in "The Spy Who Loved Me," for short |
| 27% | MOZART | 6 | Composer who wrote his first concerto at the age of five |
| 27% | AARON | 5 | Judge who excelled in the Field of Dreams game |
| 27% | CABOT | 5 | Venetian who explored for England in the 15th century |
| 26% | SUEGRAFTON | 10 | Author of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries who wrote the 2015 novel "X": 2 wds. |
| 26% | SUEGRAFTON | 10 | Mystery author who wrote the 2015 novel “X” (the twenty-fourth in a series) |
| 26% | ENGELS | 6 | Friedrich ___, German political scientist who wrote "The Condition of the Working Class in England" |
| 26% | JENNABUSHHAGER | 14 | Daughter of the 43rd president who wrote "Everything Beautiful in Its Time": 3 wds. |
| 26% | CORONADO | 8 | Spanish conquistador who searched for the Seven Cities of Gold |