| 100% | PHONO | 5 | Lead-in to “graph,” in the early days of audio recording |
| 50% | POSSES | 6 | Rival rap groups in the early days of hip-hop |
| 49% | VEEJAY | 6 | Martha Quinn or Alan Hunter, in the early days of MTV |
| 47% | MEME | 4 | Image with two lines of Impact font, in the early days |
| 47% | AUTO | 4 | Lead-in to straddle, in the name of an online magazine |
| 46% | EDISON | 6 | Leading record label of the early 1900s |
| 45% | CUSP | 4 | Days leading up to the next sign, in astrology |
| 44% | APPLEGATE | 9 | Christina, one of the leads in Dead to Me |
| 43% | PICADOR | 7 | In bullfighting, a horseman who pricks the bull with a lance to weaken it in the early stages of a fight |
| 43% | DEWIER | 6 | Like grass in the morning, compared to other times of day |
| 42% | ROALDAMUNDSEN | 13 | Norwegian explorer who led the first expedition to the South Pole in the early 1900s: 2 wds. |
| 42% | TREE | 4 | "On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear ___..." |
| 42% | AGO | 3 | In the earlier part of life |
| 42% | SKY | 3 | "Scanner" lead-in to mean one of the biggest travel booking sites in the world |
| 42% | EVE | 3 | Pi Day, in relation to the Ides of March |
| 42% | METS | 4 | MLB team that had the worst regular-season record of any team to play in the World Series |
| 42% | EROS | 4 | Quarterly publication that was central to the prosecution of Ralph Ginzberg in the early '60s on obscenity charges |
| 41% | EMBRYONIC | 9 | In the earliest stage of development; rudimentary |
| 41% | EMBRYO | 6 | Life, in the early days |
| 41% | SPANISHSTEPS | 12 | Stairway in Rome leading up to the church of the Santissima Trinita dei Monti |
| 41% | HEDY | 4 | Lamarr whose early invention led to the development of GPS |
| 41% | HADTHECODENAMECROSSWORD | 23 | Negotiations leading to the surrender of German troops in Italy _____ |
| 41% | LUDDITE | 7 | Any of the textile workers in England opposed to mechanisation who organised machine-breaking in the early 19th century |
| 41% | BUJOLD | 6 | Genevieve —, Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar nominee for Anne of the Thousand Days |
| 41% | NSYNC | 5 | Loser to U2 for Grammy Record of the Year in 2001 |
| 40% | DERMA | 5 | Lead-in to the names of some skin products |
| 40% | MIDJULY | 7 | Time in the dog days of summer |
| 40% | STOOGES | 7 | A very popular slapstick comedy group in the early to late 60's : Consisted of Moe, Shemp, Larry, Curly and Joe |
| 40% | TURTLE | 6 | The types of doves in The 12 Days of Christmas |