| 100% | LONG | 4 | Opposite of "short"...and a synonym of "yearn" |
| 71% | CRAVE | 5 | Hunger for...and a synonym of "yearn" |
| 71% | DESIRE | 6 | Strong urge...and a synonym of "yearn" |
| 71% | THIRST | 6 | Parched feeling...and a synonym of "yearn" |
| 68% | YEA | 3 | Vote that's both an anagram and a synonym of "aye" |
| 66% | NOM | 3 | Opposite of a snub, for short |
| 64% | PLANES | 6 | Short form of a synonym for multiple aircraft |
| 64% | INTRO | 5 | Opposite of "abolition", for short (as a rule) |
| 64% | TWO | 3 | Approximate shape of this puzzle's white squares ... and a synonym of the circled letters |
| 64% | CREDIT | 6 | Opposite of "debit," and a term that you may overhear on Wall Street |
| 64% | GES | 3 | A lot of washers, refrigerators and toasters, for short |
| 62% | IDIOM | 5 | Figure of speech ... and a synonym of the puzzle's alternate title, spelled left to right in the circled squares |
| 62% | HEMI | 4 | Prefix that's a synonym and rhyme of "semi" |
| 61% | YEA | 3 | It's both a synonym and an anagram of "aye" |
| 61% | PINE | 4 | Tree with cones...or a synonym of "yearn" |
| 61% | MAIN | 4 | Chief or central...and a synonym of "important" |
| 60% | ETS | 3 | A lot of things that visited and sometimes irritated Captain Kirk, for short |
| 60% | OWL | 3 | Nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes and a short neck |
| 60% | VITAL | 5 | Crucial or life-sustaining...and a synonym of "important" |
| 59% | SPLITLEVEL | 10 | House with short staircases, and a hint to each row of circles |
| 59% | DACTYL | 6 | A poetic unit of one long and two short syllables |
| 58% | HOWITZER | 8 | Cannon with a short or medium barrel and a steep angle of fire |
| 58% | FAIRWAY | 7 | Area of shorter grass between the tee and green of a golf hole |
| 58% | EDGARALLAN | 10 | First two of a short-story writer and poet |
| 57% | LONG | 4 | Opposite of short |
| 57% | TALL | 4 | Opposite of short |
| 57% | LONGER | 6 | Opposite of shorter |
| 57% | TALLEST | 7 | Opposite of shortest |
| 56% | BOXER | 5 | Medium-sized smooth-haired breed of dog with a short nose and a docked tail |
| 56% | LEWYCKA | 7 | Marina —, author of the novels Two Caravans and A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian |