| 100% | MANOF | 5 | Lead-in to “the cloth” or “the hour” |
| 73% | STARRED | 7 | To have appeared as the lead in a movie or play |
| 66% | OVER | 4 | Lead-in to "the hill" or "the top" |
| 65% | NONEOF | 6 | Lead-in to "the above" or "your business" |
| 63% | ERE | 3 | In the time leading up to |
| 63% | OFOLD | 5 | In or belonging to the past |
| 62% | IMA | 3 | Lead-in to "Loser" or "Believer" in song titles |
| 62% | TRILLIAN | 8 | Female lead in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
| 62% | MENTAL | 6 | Related to anything in the mind or the brain |
| 62% | CUSP | 4 | Days leading up to the next sign, in astrology |
| 62% | SPANISHSTEPS | 12 | Stairway in Rome leading up to the church of the Santissima Trinita dei Monti |
| 61% | OBLA | 4 | Lead-in to "di" or "da" in a Beatles song |
| 61% | MAKEMINEADOUBLE | 15 | Bar request ... or hint to the letters in the circles |
| 61% | ALONGSIDE | 9 | Next to a ship or the pier, as in docking |
| 61% | AFRO | 4 | Lead-in to punk or Cuban, in music |
| 61% | SYS | 3 | Lead-in to admin or op, in tech |
| 61% | OTTER | 5 | Lead-in to hound, in the canine world |
| 60% | IMA | 3 | Lead-in to "Man," "Woman" or "Fool" in Top 40 hits |
| 60% | BIG | 3 | Lead-in to Boi, Sean, or Daddy Kane, in rappers' names |
| 60% | SEMI | 4 | Lead-in to "sonic" or "charmed life," in '90s alt rock |
| 60% | HAND | 4 | What points to the hour or minute on a clock face |
| 60% | GOFIRST | 7 | Lead off ... or a hint to the circled letters |
| 60% | CONGEST | 7 | To cause slower flow in traffic or the lungs |
| 60% | CEPHALIC | 8 | Of, in, or relating to the head |
| 60% | OPENER | 6 | Lead-in to the headliner |
| 60% | CORNERSTORE | 11 | Local convenience ... or a hint to the words in the circled squares |
| 59% | MRS | 3 | Lead-in to Brown or Robinson in #1 song titles |
| 59% | REFLUX | 6 | To flow back or return, like acid in the esophagus |