| 100% | SAD | 3 | Metallica hit "___ but True" |
| 58% | SAD | 3 | "___ But True" (Metallica song) |
| 50% | SAD | 3 | "___ but true" |
| 49% | ELSE | 4 | Metallica hit "Nothing ___ Matters" |
| 48% | BELIEVEITORNOT | 14 | ''Unlikely, but true'' |
| 46% | DHED | 4 | Hit but didn't field, in baseball |
| 46% | VIVID | 5 | Dramatic but true to life |
| 46% | ALAS | 4 | "It's sad but true ..." |
| 44% | ONE | 3 | Metallica's first hit |
| 43% | SADTOSAY | 8 | "It's unfortunate but true": 3 wds. |
| 43% | ONE | 3 | Hit for U2 and Metallica |
| 43% | ENTERSANDMAN | 12 | Metallica hit played as 32-Across' entrance music: 2 wds. |
| 43% | ENTERSANDMAN | 12 | Metallica hit with the lyric "Sleep with one eye open" |
| 42% | ONEEARED | 8 | Like the praying mantis, anatomically [weird, but true] |
| 42% | VERBS | 5 | Hit and run, but not error |
| 42% | SWISHING | 8 | Hitting nothing but net, in basketball |
| 42% | YET | 3 | "That's true, but . . ." |
| 42% | EVENSO | 6 | ''That's true, but . . .'' |
| 41% | THETHINGIS | 10 | "That may be true, but ..." |
| 41% | THINGIS | 7 | “That may be true, but ...” |
| 41% | IMAFRAIDSO | 10 | "Sorry, but it's true" |
| 38% | IKIDYOUNOT | 10 | “Hard to believe, but it’s true!” |
| 38% | THANG | 5 | "Nuthin' but a 'G' ___" (Dr. Dre hit) |
| 37% | AVA | 3 | Singer ___ Max with the hit "Sweet But Psycho" |
| 37% | NEARMISS | 8 | Very close to target, but not hitting it |
| 36% | URBAN | 5 | ___ legend (story that's widely believed but not true) |
| 36% | ELSE | 4 | "Never Be Anyone ___ But You" (Ricky Nelson hit song) |
| 36% | AVA | 3 | ___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho" |
| 35% | ENTER | 5 | "___ Sandman" (Metallica hit) |
| 35% | LIED | 4 | "Said I Loved You ... But I ___" (1993 Michael Bolton hit) |