| 100% | PERRYCOMO | 9 | Recipient of the first gold single awarded by the R.I.A.A. |
| 44% | LOVE | 4 | "___ Is Strong," first single by The Rolling Stones which is a part of their 1994 album "Voodoo Lounge" |
| 44% | PART | 4 | "___ of Me," hit song by Katy Perry which was first performed at the 54th Grammy Awards |
| 43% | KELLYCLARKSON | 13 | One Direction's "Tell Me a Lie" was written by ___, winner of the first season of "American Idol": 2 wds. |
| 43% | NEED | 4 | "All the Man That I ___," number-one hit single by Whitney Houston that is a cover of Linda Clifford's version |
| 43% | ASHE | 4 | First recipient of the ATP Player of the Year award |
| 42% | ASHE | 4 | Recipient of the inaugural A.T.P. Player of the Year award |
| 42% | NATIVESON | 9 | First Book of the Month Club pick written by a Black American |
| 42% | EDNA | 4 | ___ Lewis, first recipient of the James Beard Living Legend Award |
| 42% | SAGAN | 5 | Namesake of a medal awarded by the American Astronomical Society |
| 41% | JUDYGARLAND | 11 | First female recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award in film |
| 41% | ACRONYM | 7 | Word formed by the first letters of a series of words |
| 41% | CHICAGO | 7 | "If You Leave Me Now" rock band and recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 |
| 40% | WILL | 4 | "___ You Love Me Tomorrow," question posed by the Shirelles in a 1961 single |
| 40% | BRASSINPOCKET | 13 | Single subtitled "I'm Special" by 44-Across that was the first new #1 song of the 1980s on the U.K. charts (3 wds.) |
| 40% | TOI | 3 | ___ Derricotte, 2020 recipient of the Frost Medal awarded by the Poetry Society of America |
| 40% | OTTO | 4 | Swimmer Kristin ___, the first woman to win six gold medals at a single Olympics |
| 40% | BABY | 4 | First word of the three-word title of a 1992 Sir Mix-a-Lot single |
| 39% | DUST | 4 | "___: A Tale of the Wired West," single-player video game published by GTE Entertainment |
| 39% | YOUVE | 5 | "___ Really Got a Hold on Me" (hit single by The Miracles) |
| 39% | DUMMY | 5 | "Night of the Living ___," 1993 "Goosebumps" book by R.L. Stine about a ventriloquist's puppet |
| 39% | SIGN | 4 | "___ of the Times," hit song by Harry Styles which won a Brit Award in 2018 |
| 39% | REBA | 4 | First name of the singer honored by a 2023 Country Music Corn Maze campaign |
| 39% | PLATTE | 6 | River paralleled by I-80 through a long stretch of the Plains |
| 39% | ASIAN | 5 | The first “A” of A.A.P.I. |
| 38% | THIS | 4 | "___ I Remember," 1949 book by the former first lady of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt |
| 38% | BRUCE | 5 | ___ Smith, defensive end who was selected first overall draft pick by the Bills and is a record holder of 200 career sacks |
| 38% | SAGAN | 5 | Carl ___, astrophysicist who was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and multiple Emmy Awards |
| 38% | SULU | 4 | Recipient of the first Vulcan nerve pinch on the original "Star Trek" |
| 38% | LOVEFORSALE | 11 | 2021 collaborative album with the single "I Get a Kick Out of You" by Lady Gaga and 40-Across (3 wds.) |