| 100% | MIDDLEMARCH | 11 | George Eliot novel that's not the contest answer, but provides a hint to it |
| 39% | CAPITAL | 7 | A hint to the contest answer |
| 39% | RISE | 4 | Word providing a hint to the hidden theme answers |
| 38% | HORSEAROUND | 11 | Engage in tomfoolery ... and a hint to what goes with each part of the answers to starred clues, but not in the same way |
| 37% | CATTYCORNER | 11 | Location-describing term that's a triple hint to the contest answer |
| 37% | NOEL | 4 | Seasonal song (and a hint to finding the contest answer) |
| 36% | SPINTHEBOTTLE | 13 | Classic party game ... or a hint to solving the answers that intersect circles |
| 35% | ATM | 3 | Something that most people use, but it's also not tough to go through a withdrawal |
| 35% | EVERYTHINGSOK | 13 | "It's all good," or a hint to the starred answers |
| 35% | TWINKILLING | 11 | Baseball double play, in slang ... or a hint to understanding the 12 Across answers that have circles |
| 34% | ALLYOUNEEDISLOVE | 16 | Beatles hit that's a hint to both parts of the answer to each starred clue |
| 34% | DIVIDERS | 8 | Boundaries, and a hint to the puzzle's starred answers |
| 34% | GROUPCHAT | 9 | Conversation among friends ... or a hint to the animal collectives in the starred answers and the conversations that follow them |
| 33% | METOO | 5 | "Ditto!" (and a hint to what's in the grid-spanning answers) |
| 33% | RANDOMORDER | 11 | Ideal deck-shuffling goal ... and a hint to a hidden word, and how it appears, in the four other longest answers |
| 33% | HOME | 4 | There's no place like it ... or a word that can precede either half of the answer to each starred clue |
| 33% | TIMEAFTERTIME | 13 | Repeatedly ... and a hint to the answers to this puzzle's starred clues |
| 33% | WALLFLOWERS | 11 | Shy sorts, with a hint to the answers on this puzzle's perimeter |
| 33% | AJAR | 4 | Answer to the riddle "When is a door not a door? When it's ___" |
| 33% | ZEN | 3 | "Your Moment of ___," and a hint to what's added to the starred answers |
| 33% | FRUITLESS | 9 | Unproductive ... or, literally, a hint to the answers to this puzzle's starred clues |
| 33% | WEBOFLIES | 9 | It's spun by mendacious people ... or a hint to the shaded answers |
| 32% | ITSALLNOISE | 11 | "That's just talk, talk, talk," or a hint to the ends of the starred answers |
| 32% | JAR | 3 | "When it's a ___" (answer to the riddle "When is a door not a door?") |
| 32% | SWAPMEET | 8 | Collectors' event, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues |
| 32% | CANIGETANAMEN | 13 | "Anyone agree with me?" and a hint to what's hidden in the starred answers |
| 32% | JUICEUP | 7 | Supercharge, and a hint to what's literally hiding in the four longest Down answers |
| 32% | THEIDES | 7 | Date that provides a phonetic hint to four other answers in this puzzle |
| 32% | SEVENCS | 7 | Punny title for this puzzle that's a hint to the answers to the starred clues |
| 32% | SEEDCAPITAL | 11 | Startup funds ... and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to the starred clues |