| 100% | APELET | 6 | King Kong, in the beginning |
| 68% | FAY | 3 | Canadian actress in the 1933 King Kong; first name |
| 66% | BEAUTY | 6 | In King Kong, it's what killed the beast |
| 64% | ORIGINALLY | 10 | In the beginning |
| 64% | ATFIRST | 7 | In the beginning |
| 63% | EARLYON | 7 | In the beginning stages |
| 62% | ROI | 3 | Louvre occupant, in the beginning |
| 61% | GIANT | 5 | King Kong in terms of size |
| 61% | EARLYON | 7 | In the beginning stages (2 wds.) |
| 60% | ASIT | 4 | "___ was in the beginning..." |
| 60% | ASIT | 4 | "___ was in the beginning . . . " |
| 59% | GENESIS | 7 | In the beginning, there was a rock group |
| 58% | ONARAMPAGE | 10 | Like King Kong in New York City |
| 57% | SCRATCH | 7 | The beginning, in an idiom |
| 57% | EZRA | 4 | It begins "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia ..." |
| 57% | TIA | 3 | Spanish "aunt" found in the beginning of "tiara" |
| 56% | BABYSTEPS | 9 | Small progress in the beginning of a long journey |
| 56% | DNATEST | 7 | Lizzo takes one in the beginning of "Truth Hurts" |
| 56% | LAD | 3 | Boy was clad, but deliberately not in the beginning |
| 56% | PSALM | 5 | One begins "The king shall joy in thy strength" |
| 55% | GERARD | 6 | King Leonidas in The 300, actor __ Butler |
| 55% | PRIAM | 5 | King killed in the sack of Troy |
| 55% | SOUTHERN | 8 | In the __ hemisphere, spring begins in September |
| 55% | DACAPO | 6 | From the beginning, in music |
| 55% | ABOVO | 5 | From the beginning, in Latin |
| 55% | HYENAS | 6 | Villains in The Lion King |
| 55% | CONSONANT | 9 | The beginning of every clue in this puzzle |
| 54% | JESSICALANGE | 12 | Two-time Oscar-winning actress who starred in the 1976 movie "King Kong": 2 wds. |
| 54% | NAOMIWATTS | 10 | Two-time Oscar-nominated actress who starred in the 2005 movie "King Kong": 2 wds. |
| 54% | SHAH | 4 | King, in the etymology of ''check'' |