| 100% | ENIWETOK | 8 | Pacific Ocean atoll taken by the US from Japan in 1944 that later became a testing ground for atomic weapons |
| 92% | ENIWETOK | 8 | Atoll in the Pacific Ocean taken by the US from Japan in 1944 that later became a testing ground for atomic weapons |
| 26% | AGNUSDEI | 8 | Liturgy that takes its name from a term for Jesus used by John the Baptist |
| 26% | BLACK | 5 | "___ Balloon," hit song by the Goo Goo Dolls from their album "Dizzy Up the Girl" that was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 |
| 25% | TANNOY | 6 | Colloquial term for a public address system taken from the name of a firm set up by Guy Fountain in 1926 |
| 25% | POP | 3 | ___ art, art movement that originated in the UK and US during the mid-to late 1950s which includes elements taken from mass culture |
| 25% | BELONG | 6 | "Up Where We ___," song from the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1982 |
| 23% | LIS | 3 | Portal established by the US Dept. of Agric. that aims to get a better crop yield from your bean fields |
| 23% | YTK | 3 | Abbr. for a problem that became increasingly fearful as the last millennium approached |
| 23% | GRANDY | 6 | Fred ___, actor turned politician who became a member of the US House of Representatives from Iowa in 1986 |
| 22% | SOLARIS | 7 | Planet from the eponymous book that is depicted as covered by a single massive ocean |
| 22% | THEREIVERS | 10 | "___: A Reminiscence," the last novel by William Faulkner that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: 2 wds. |
| 22% | MAKING | 6 | "___ a Fire," song by Foo Fighters that won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance in 2022 |
| 22% | JEAN | 4 | "Billie ___," song by from 14a that won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1984 |
| 22% | REM | 3 | Band that took its name from a stage of sleep Michael Stipe found in the dictionary |
| 22% | OATH | 4 | In the statement required by those becoming US nationals, the phrase "on ___" may be replaced by "and solemnly affirm" |
| 22% | MIMOLETTE | 9 | Orange colored cheese from France that was blocked in US for having a very high mite level |
| 22% | ORIENTEXPRESS | 13 | Train that's the setting for murder in a 2017 remake directed by Kenneth Branagh (2 wds.) |
| 22% | PISTONS | 7 | NBA team that set the record for most consecutive losses in a single season (28) last month |
| 22% | ROAR | 4 | Hit song by Katy Perry that was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2014 |
| 22% | FIREWORK | 8 | Hit song by Katy Perry that was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year in 2012 |
| 22% | THESEVENAGES | 12 | Collection by 36-Across that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2002 (3 wds.) |
| 22% | SKYFALL | 7 | Adele title song from a James Bond movie that won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2013 |
| 22% | WAITING | 7 | "___ on a War," song by Foo Fighters that won the Grammy Award for Best Rock song in 2022 |
| 21% | BRETTON | 7 | & 25A Venue in New Hampshire, US, of a 1944 conference that resulted in the establishment of the World Bank |
| 21% | MIDWAY | 6 | US-owned coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean |
| 21% | FEELING | 7 | "Flashdance... What a ___," song from the movie "Flashdance" that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983 |
| 21% | PHIL | 4 | "Dr. ___," talk show featuring a psychologist that you saw for the last time on your TV screen in 2023 |