| 100% | PLOP | 4 | Sound of a failed attempt to skip a stone |
| 45% | PLOP | 4 | Sound of a stone hitting a puddle |
| 45% | PLOP | 4 | Sound of a stone landing in water |
| 44% | PLOP | 4 | Sound of an unsuccessful attempt at stone skimming |
| 43% | GUNSHY | 6 | Nervous, as to the sound of a pistol: Hyph. |
| 42% | BELIE | 5 | Fail to give a true impression of |
| 42% | MUTE | 4 | Device used to muffle the sound of a musical instrument |
| 42% | TUNER | 5 | Technician hired to correct the sound of a musical instrument |
| 41% | CAIRN | 5 | Pile of stones to mark a trail |
| 41% | SCULPT | 6 | To build a piece of art from stone or clay |
| 41% | ELMERSGLOOM | 11 | Result of failing to catch a wascally wabbit? |
| 41% | CAIRN | 5 | Pile of stones used to mark a trail |
| 40% | INTERVIEWWHEEZE | 15 | Sound of a job seeker who ran hard to get to an appointment on time? |
| 40% | DECIBEL | 7 | Unit used to measure the intensity of a sound |
| 40% | ERR | 3 | Fail to answer in the form of a question on “Jeopardy!,” say |
| 40% | NAFTA | 5 | Source of a "giant sucking sound," according to Ross Perot |
| 40% | PUN | 3 | Clever use of similar sounding words to make a joke |
| 39% | NYAD | 4 | 2023 biopic starring Annette Bening as a swimmer attempting to cross the Straits of Florida |
| 39% | OPENINGBELL | 11 | Sound of capitalism? ...or a hint to the starts of 17-, 22-, 35- and 46-Across |
| 38% | PLUG | 4 | Spell this "electric" word backward to get a cartoon sound of swallowing |
| 38% | XXXXX | 5 | Sound of touching glasses in a toast (and a hint to finding the contest answer) |
| 37% | FALLINGFLAT | 11 | Failing utterly ... or a British hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues? |
| 37% | APHERESIS | 9 | Loss of a sound at the start of a word, as "opossum" to "possum" |
| 37% | CRAB | 4 | "One of the many attempts of Nature to evolve a ___" (Borradaile's definition of "carcinization") |
| 37% | TICK | 4 | Sound of a watch |
| 37% | TEEHEE | 6 | Sound of a snicker |
| 37% | CLINK | 5 | Sound of a toast |
| 37% | SPLAT | 5 | Sound of a fall |
| 37% | POW | 3 | Sound of a sock |
| 37% | CLUNK | 5 | Sound of a fall |