| 100% | MUSE | 4 | Inspiration for William Blake (anagram of "emus") |
| 46% | ROULETTE | 8 | Inspiration for "Wheel of Fortune" |
| 44% | LENIN | 5 | Inspiration for Old Major of "Animal Farm" |
| 44% | JONATHANWINTERS | 15 | Comedic inspiration for Robin Williams |
| 44% | ELEPHANT | 8 | Anagram of "the plane"; another word for pachyderm |
| 43% | CHEATER | 7 | Anagram of teacher, a rare word for a fraudster |
| 43% | OPT | 3 | Anagram of "top" for a word that means "decide" |
| 42% | OCCAM | 5 | William of ___, known for his "razor" |
| 41% | ELEMENT | 7 | Inspiration for each chapter of Primo Levi’s “The Periodic Table” |
| 41% | ECO | 3 | Anagram of CEO which is the prefix for pro-Earth initiatives |
| 41% | HINT | 4 | "This answer is an anagram of THIN," for example |
| 41% | OCCAM | 5 | William of ___, philosopher known for his “razor” |
| 41% | DUKE | 4 | ___ of Cambridge (title for Prince William) |
| 40% | CAIN | 4 | Biblical inspiration for Caleb, in Steinbeck's "East of Eden" |
| 40% | LEAHY | 5 | William ___, chief of staff for Roosevelt and Truman |
| 40% | ETON | 4 | Alma mater for William, Prince of Wales |
| 40% | SHAWN | 5 | William ___, editor of The New Yorker for 35 years |
| 39% | END | 3 | Apt anagram for the opening of denouement |
| 39% | OSCAR | 5 | One of five for composer John Williams |
| 38% | WAXMUSEUM | 9 | Source of inspiration for a candlemaker? |
| 38% | PENALTY | 7 | Fine for wrongdoing; anagram of aplenty |
| 38% | KISSER | 6 | Slang for mouth; anagram of skiers |
| 38% | ANTIDOTES | 9 | Cures for poisons, anagram of stationed |
| 38% | ACT | 3 | Anagram of the animal in 23a which is what Ryan Reynolds does for a living |
| 38% | MOON | 4 | William —, 19th-century inventor of a writing system for the blind |
| 38% | FETA | 4 | Type of cheese which is an anagram for 'feat' |
| 38% | MUSES | 5 | Sources of inspiration for a painter, say |
| 38% | YEARNED | 7 | Longed for; anagram of end year |
| 37% | INGE | 4 | William —, winner of the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for play Picnic |
| 37% | NOSY | 4 | SNUB I USE FOR __ ONE (''none of your business'' anagram) |