| 100% | LASS | 4 | Scottish word for "girl" that's 9-Across minus its last letter |
| 46% | EMU | 3 | Bird that's a primate minus its first and last letters |
| 43% | ROTUND | 6 | Word for “plump” that, when its third letter is removed, still means “plump” |
| 43% | WHY | 3 | Word that sounds like its last letter |
| 42% | QUEUE | 5 | Word that's pronounced the same after its last four letters are removed |
| 40% | LAO | 3 | Language that's the name of an Asian country minus its last letter |
| 39% | DEUS | 4 | Latin word for "god" that's one letter different from Zeus |
| 39% | IHOP | 4 | Restaurant that changed its last letter to a B for a brief period in June |
| 38% | YOU | 3 | Homophone of 9-Across that shares no letters with it |
| 38% | TINA | 4 | Girl's name that becomes a contraction when its first and last letters are switched |
| 38% | QUEUE | 5 | Only English word that's pronounced the same after its last four letters are removed |
| 38% | SINE | 4 | Mathematical term that's abbreviated by removing its last letter |
| 38% | ELLA | 4 | Girl's name that sounds like French for "she has it" |
| 37% | ENAMOR | 6 | Romantic word that's aptly romance spelled backwards, minus a letter |
| 37% | OWE | 3 | Word that's a homophone of its first letter |
| 36% | EASE | 4 | Word that sounds like its first and last letters |
| 36% | CHEMICALSYMBOLS | 15 | This puzzle's circled letters, for the words that precede them |
| 36% | EAU | 3 | Word for a liquid that sounds like a letter |
| 36% | ACRONYM | 7 | Letters that stand for words |
| 36% | ARE | 3 | Word that's often shortened to its middle letter in texts |
| 36% | CHARY | 5 | Word that's its own synonym when its first two letters are replaced with "w" |
| 35% | ARI | 3 | Name that's 16-Across minus a letter |
| 35% | YOU | 3 | Word shortened to its last letter in texts |
| 34% | RESTS | 5 | Last word for the defense ('the defense ___ its case') |
| 34% | SUR | 3 | Spanish direction that's 30-Across minus a letter |
| 34% | LATTE | 5 | Word that, if you double it and mix up the letters, becomes 64-Across |
| 34% | GRAIN | 5 | Word that, if you double it and mix up the letters, becomes 17-Across |
| 34% | OCHOA | 5 | Last name that's an anagram of 9-Across |
| 33% | PIN | 3 | "Let's put a ___ in it for now" ("We'll talk about that later") |
| 33% | ACTOR | 5 | Word that's an apt anagram of CO-STAR minus S |