| 100% | LINC | 4 | Friend of Pete and Julie in "The Mod Squad" (rhymes with "sync") |
| 46% | LINC | 4 | Partner of Julie and Pete on "The Mod Squad" |
| 44% | JUGHEAD | 7 | Friend of Archie and Betty in the comics |
| 43% | ARCHIE | 6 | Friend of Betty and Veronica, in the comics |
| 43% | RAT | 3 | Friend of Pig and Goat in the comic strip "Pearls Before Swine" |
| 40% | LINC | 4 | Pete and Julie's "Mod Squad" partner |
| 40% | HERMIONE | 8 | Female friend of Harry and Ron, in the Harry Potter books |
| 40% | COPPER | 6 | Bloodhound friend of fox in The Fox and the Hound |
| 39% | IBELIEVEICANFLY | 15 | R. Kelly hit whose last title word is aptly rhymed with "sky" in the lyrics ... and a hint to the starts of the other four longest puzzle answers |
| 39% | ATHOS | 5 | Friend of Porthos and Aramis in "The Three Musketeers" |
| 39% | INKSPOTS | 8 | Vocal group in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with "The" |
| 39% | INIGO | 5 | Friend of Westley and Fezzik, in "The Princess Bride" |
| 38% | OTIS | 4 | Name that rhymes with another answer in the same column of the grid |
| 38% | RONETTES | 8 | 1960s pop trio in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with "the" |
| 38% | OJAYS | 5 | 1970s R&B trio in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with "the" |
| 38% | SOLANIO | 7 | Friend, with Salarino, of Antonio in Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice |
| 38% | GOING | 5 | With 39- and 42-Across, activity of the spirits in this puzzle |
| 38% | COUPLET | 7 | Two lines of poetry with the same rhythm and rhyme |
| 37% | PAULA | 5 | She sat in front of the stage with Simon and Randy |
| 37% | AARONSPELLING | 13 | Producer in the Television Hall of Fame with 218 producer and executive producer credits (2 wds.) |
| 37% | JULIUS | 6 | With 25-Across, speaker of the quote hidden in 20-, 37- and 53-Across |
| 36% | MELANIE | 7 | Scarlett's sister-in-law and best friend in "Gone With the Wind" |
| 36% | RYE | 3 | Word rhymed with "Pie," "dry" and "die," in the "American Pie" chorus |
| 36% | ONCEISNOTENOUGH | 15 | Jacqueline Susann novel, and the problem with some of the answers in this puzzle |
| 36% | WOE | 3 | Rhyme of "Romeo" in the last couplet of "Romeo and Juliet" |
| 36% | TEN | 3 | Value of J, Q, and Z, in Words with Friends |
| 35% | THEWHO | 6 | With Yes and the Band, band in an “SCTV” parody of a classic Abbott and Costello bit |
| 35% | SALLY | 5 | I wrote "Conversations with Friends" and won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year |
| 35% | BENVOLIO | 8 | Cousin and friend of Romeo in the William Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet |
| 35% | KOOKY | 5 | Rhyme of "spooky" and "ooky" in "The Addams Family" theme song |