| 100% | ELITE | 5 | Selected as the best |
| 64% | OPTIMUM | 7 | The best, as of conditions |
| 62% | PHELPS | 6 | Michael, who is often regarded as the best swimmer |
| 62% | LALALAND | 8 | 2016 film mistakenly announced as the Best Picture winner |
| 61% | CHERRYPICK | 10 | Select the best |
| 61% | CULL | 4 | Select the best |
| 61% | JORDAN | 6 | Michael who is often regarded as the best basketball player |
| 59% | TOPSHELF | 8 | Of the best quality, as liquor (Hyph.) |
| 59% | EDIT | 4 | Change for the better, as a manuscript |
| 59% | CULL | 4 | Select the best ones of |
| 58% | CHERRYPICK | 10 | Select the best from a group |
| 57% | LOVESHACK | 9 | B-52s hit named by Rolling Stone as the best single of 1989 |
| 57% | NIGEL | 5 | Richards who is generally regarded as the best Scrabble player of all time |
| 57% | CHERRYPICK | 10 | Select the best and leave the rest |
| 57% | CURATE | 6 | Select the best artworks for an exhibit |
| 56% | POLICE | 6 | Called the fuzz as well |
| 56% | ASSET | 5 | Possession of the good kind, as opposed to a liability |
| 55% | TAP | 3 | Select with the finger, as an iPhone icon |
| 54% | MONALISA | 8 | The painting La Gioconda is better known as this |
| 54% | SETAT | 5 | Select the temperature on, as a thermostat: 2 wds. |
| 53% | REAGAN | 6 | Ronald ___, former U.S. President who was selected as the "Time Person of the Year" in 1980 |
| 53% | LALALAND | 8 | 2016 film starring 20-Across that was mistakenly announced as the Best Picture Oscar winner (3 wds.) |
| 52% | ASKAGAINYES | 11 | Bestselling novel by 30-Across selected as the "The Tonight Show" Summer Reads choice for 2019 (3 wds.) |
| 52% | GORDON | 6 | First name of the singer better known as Sting |
| 52% | ALCOTT | 6 | Best-selling author who served as a nurse in the Civil War |
| 51% | LALALAND | 8 | Film mistakenly announced as Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars |
| 51% | DOMEPATROL | 10 | 15a was a part of this four-man linebacking corps known as the best in NFL history: 2 wds. |
| 51% | REAP | 4 | "___ the benefits..." (get something good as a result of previous actions) |
| 50% | WILD | 4 | "The ___ Asses of the Devil," 1915 short story by H.G. Wells |
| 50% | WINKLER | 7 | Henry, best known as the Fonz |