| 100% | LOVE | 4 | Score before the first serve |
| 53% | APPETIT | 7 | Last word before the first bite |
| 53% | WARMUPPITCH | 11 | Preparatory toss before the first inning |
| 51% | ANTHEM | 6 | It's often played before the first play |
| 51% | PREGAP | 6 | Part of a CD before the first track |
| 50% | TEE | 3 | Where a golf ball is placed before the first hit |
| 49% | PERSONAL | 8 | The first P in PPE, before protective equipment |
| 49% | FIFTEENLOVE | 11 | Score after the opening serve, perhaps |
| 47% | ONENIL | 6 | Soccer score after the first goal |
| 47% | INOUYE | 6 | Daniel ___, the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress |
| 47% | COMANECI | 8 | Nadia, the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 |
| 47% | CDIII | 5 | 1,500 years before the Wright brothers' first flight |
| 46% | BARACK | 6 | First name of the president before Donald |
| 46% | OPEN | 4 | Serve as the first act |
| 46% | OBAMAS | 6 | First Family before the Trumps |
| 45% | ELMO | 4 | He became the first puppet to testify before Congress in 2002 |
| 45% | KOBE | 4 | First name of the Lakers' all-time scoring leader |
| 44% | XXXXXXXX | 8 | Like a poker player who keeps getting everyone to fold before the first bet is made? |
| 43% | RENO | 4 | Janet who was the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general |
| 42% | DIANA | 5 | Taurasi who was the first WNBA player to score more than 9,000 points |
| 42% | RUTH | 4 | First name of the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court |
| 42% | JANETRENO | 9 | First woman to serve as attorney general of the US: 2 wds. |
| 42% | NADIA | 5 | ___ Comaneci, the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 at the Olympics |
| 41% | SOUP | 4 | Liquid served as the first course |
| 41% | NIL | 3 | Losing score in the first official basketball game played on January 20, 1892 |
| 41% | IRESTMYQUESO | 12 | Comment from a cook who cools the cheese sauce before serving? |
| 41% | SAHLE | 5 | ___-Work Zewde, Ethiopian politician who is the first woman to serve as the President of Ethiopia |
| 41% | MIA | 3 | ___ Mottley, Barbadian politician who is the first woman to serve as the Prime Minister of Barbados |
| 41% | DEVI | 4 | Bidya ___ Bhandari, Nepalese politician who is the first woman to serve as the President of Nepal |
| 41% | USN | 3 | JFK was the first president to have served in this branch of the US Armed Forces |