| 100% | REALIST | 7 | Practical sort ... or anagram #1 of the only seven letters used to make this puzzle |
| 36% | IVE | 3 | Suffix used to make the adjectival form of "act" or "pass" |
| 36% | IVE | 3 | Suffix used to make the adjectival form of "fest" or "pass" |
| 35% | TIRE | 4 | Bad thing to blow ... or what each of the circled letters in this puzzle represents |
| 34% | IRONCLAD | 8 | Unbreakable, and a hint to making sense of seven answers in this puzzle |
| 34% | SINGAPORE | 9 | Country spelled with the only nine letters used in this puzzle's answers |
| 32% | SEQUOIA | 7 | What is the only seven-letter word to use all five vowels and Q? |
| 31% | FELT | 4 | Material used to make the outside of Muppets |
| 31% | EIGHT | 5 | Total number of letters of the alphabet used in this puzzle |
| 31% | FLOUR | 5 | Powdery material used to make the batter of plum cakes |
| 31% | TEASE | 5 | To make fun of or provoke using fun |
| 31% | H&RBLOCK | 8 | Subject of the Final Jeopardy! question that knocked out Ken Jennings after a record 74 wins ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 30% | HALF | 4 | First ___ (only portion of the alphabet used in this puzzle's grid) |
| 30% | CIRCLESBACK | 11 | Brings up a prior topic … or a hint to making sense of the answers to this puzzle's starred clues |
| 30% | BRADS | 5 | Fasteners ... or, if you change the fourth letter to an S, what the fasteners might be made of |
| 30% | INDIAN | 6 | ← Member of the only team to win this many games in a season |
| 30% | ENGLISH | 7 | Language of the answers to this puzzle's uniclues |
| 29% | ERR | 3 | Use the answer to any of this puzzle's starred clues in ordinary conversation? |
| 29% | SEVERAL | 7 | Four or five, or how to make the theme answers in this puzzle |
| 29% | NEE | 3 | Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman |
| 29% | PUNCTUATIONMARK | 15 | Any of the groupings of circled letters in this puzzle |
| 29% | OPLACETOGO | 10 | What some of the letters in this puzzle seemingly have |
| 29% | ANGLE | 5 | Relationship of the circled letters to the apt words they connect to in this puzzle |
| 29% | CELSHADING | 10 | Technique often used to make 3D images appear in the style of a comic book |
| 29% | TAMES | 5 | Breaks ... or an anagram of the ends of five Across answers in this puzzle |
| 29% | LION | 4 | Member of the only N.F.C. team never to have made the Super Bowl |
| 29% | CALCULATOR | 10 | Device used to read the eight visual clues in this puzzle |
| 29% | PLATO | 5 | Speaker of the quote found in this puzzle's circled letters |
| 29% | HUMPDAY | 7 | Middle of the week ... or an appropriate title for this puzzle |
| 29% | PLY | 3 | One of the strands twisted together to make yarn or rope |