| 100% | IMEAN | 5 | Lead-in to a clarification or correction |
| 63% | OBLA | 4 | Lead-in to "di" or "da" in a Beatles song |
| 62% | MODEL | 5 | Lead-in to T, A or X |
| 61% | CTRL | 4 | Lead-in to P or C on a PC |
| 61% | NOT | 3 | Lead-in to "for a moment" or "for profit" |
| 61% | ALA | 3 | Lead-in to mode or king, on a menu |
| 57% | MOO | 3 | Lead in to "goo gai pan" to mean a dish |
| 57% | NARY | 4 | Lead-in to "a soul" or "a scratch" |
| 56% | STARRED | 7 | To have appeared as the lead in a movie or play |
| 55% | AFRO | 4 | Lead-in to punk or Cuban, in music |
| 55% | SYS | 3 | Lead-in to admin or op, in tech |
| 55% | ONCE | 4 | Lead-in to "upon a time," in fairytales |
| 55% | MID | 3 | Lead-in to “summer” in a Shakespeare title |
| 55% | HERESTHEKICKER | 14 | Lead-in to a surprising twist … or a hint to 16-, 22-, 32- and 45-Across |
| 54% | SETIN | 5 | Lead-in to "Language" in a 1993 comedy bestseller |
| 54% | NOMAD | 5 | Lead-in to "land" in a hit 2020 film |
| 54% | SEXY | 4 | Lead-in to "back" in a Justin Timberlake song |
| 54% | ONCE | 4 | Lead-in to "upon a time," in fairy tales |
| 54% | SNO | 3 | Lead-in to “cross,” in a winter racing sport |
| 54% | MRS | 3 | Lead-in to Brown or Robinson in #1 song titles |
| 54% | DUO | 3 | Lead-in to "lingo" in a language-learning app name |
| 52% | IMA | 3 | Lead-in to "Man," "Woman" or "Fool" in Top 40 hits |
| 52% | BIG | 3 | Lead-in to Boi, Sean, or Daddy Kane, in rappers' names |
| 52% | SLOUCH | 6 | To hunch or sit in a lazy way |
| 52% | SLANT | 5 | To slope or lean in a certain direction |
| 52% | CAB | 3 | Alternative to a bus or subway, in Manhattan |
| 51% | PRAYER | 6 | Act of pleading to a deity in a word or thought |
| 51% | ROADS | 5 | In a saying, all of them lead to Rome |
| 51% | CHAR | 4 | A fish ... or to cook it, in a way |
| 51% | ETCH | 4 | To carve something in stone, or on a tree |