| 100% | INTHEMAIL | 9 | Like the check, often |
| 67% | MISUSED | 7 | Like the word "its," often |
| 67% | RETOLD | 6 | Like the Christmas story, often |
| 67% | AGED | 4 | Like the expensive stuff, often |
| 67% | MISUSED | 7 | Like the word “lay,” often |
| 66% | FOGGY | 5 | Like the weather around lighthouses, often |
| 65% | CLONED | 6 | Like the I.B.M. PC, often |
| 65% | ASHY | 4 | Like the bottom of a fireplace, often |
| 65% | MISUSED | 7 | Like the words "literally" and "ironic," often |
| 65% | SANDY | 5 | Like the bottoms of beach bags, often |
| 65% | ONLOW | 5 | Like the burner under a stewpot, often |
| 63% | ASHY | 4 | Like the bottom of a charcoal grill, often |
| 62% | MISUSED | 7 | Like the word "ironic" in place of "unfortunate," often |
| 62% | NASAL | 5 | Like the voice of someone with a cold, often |
| 62% | ENDORSE | 7 | Sign, like the back of a check |
| 61% | LIE | 3 | "The check's in the mail," often |
| 61% | SEPARATE | 8 | Like checks, when splitting the tab |
| 60% | MISTED | 6 | Like produce in the produce aisle, often |
| 59% | ODD | 3 | Like the total number of socks after doing laundry, all too often |
| 59% | FOGGY | 5 | Like weather around the Golden Gate Bridge, often |
| 57% | SARCASTIC | 9 | Like “Thanks for the invite,” often |
| 56% | IDS | 3 | They're often checked at the bar door |
| 56% | PULSE | 5 | Heart rate measure often checked via the wrist |
| 55% | ONONEKNEE | 9 | Like people in the front row of a group photo, often |
| 55% | ICED | 4 | Like coffee ordered in the summer, often |
| 54% | PATROLS | 7 | Does a security check around the block like a cop |
| 54% | ENCLOSES | 8 | Inserts in the same envelope, like your tax check, maybe |
| 53% | FOR | 3 | Word often seen in the lower left corner of a check |
| 53% | SAJAK | 5 | He's often told "I'd like to solve the puzzle" |
| 50% | IMPROPERLYSPELLED | 17 | Like the answers to the 10 asterisked clues, more often than any other English words, according to a 1999 study |