| 100% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "Fall Canceled After 3 Billion Seasons," with "the" |
| 43% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "Study Reveals: Babies Are Stupid," with "The" |
| 43% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "World's Youngest Person Born," with "The" |
| 42% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "Study Finds Blame Now Fastest Human Reflex," with "The" |
| 42% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race of Skeleton People," with "The" |
| 42% | ONION | 5 | Source of the headline "World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent," with "The" |
| 41% | ONION | 5 | With "The," source of the headline "Yahoo! Launches Soul-Search Engine" |
| 40% | CACAO | 5 | With 3-Down, its seeds are the source of chocolate |
| 37% | RED | 3 | With 3-Down and 4-Across, the human body makes around 200 billion of them per day |
| 36% | LITTLEPRINCE | 12 | Source of the stepquote, with "The" |
| 35% | SECOND | 6 | With 34-Across, subtitle of the fall 2015 season of 16-Across (each contestant was eliminated in a previous season) |
| 35% | HAKEEMOLAJUWON | 14 | Hall of Fame center who signed with the Raptors in 2001 after 17 seasons with the Rockets: 2 wds. |
| 35% | LAKE | 4 | With 5-Across, source of the Truckee River |
| 35% | NIMBUS | 6 | With 7-Across, sources of the circled words |
| 34% | KARLMALONE | 10 | Hall of Fame power forward who signed with the Lakers in 2003 after 18 seasons with the Jazz: 2 wds. |
| 34% | MARYLOURETTON | 13 | 1984 women's all-around gymnastics gold medalist who competed on Season 27 of "Dancing With the Stars": 3 wds. |
| 34% | TEMPEST | 7 | Source of the phrase "brave new world," with "The" |
| 34% | ACTS | 4 | Source of the line "Thy money perish with thee" |
| 34% | BRETMICHAELS | 12 | Rock singer with Poison who finished seventh on season 3 of "The Masked Singer" as the Banana: 2 wds. |
| 34% | KANDIBURRUSS | 12 | R&B singer with Xscape who won season 3 of "The Masked Singer" as the Night Angel: 2 wds. |
| 33% | TEMPEST | 7 | Source of the line "What's past is prologue," with "The" |
| 33% | HOMEALONE | 9 | Source of the film-within-a-film Angels With Filthy Souls |
| 33% | CAPTAIN | 7 | With 3-Down, one of the Avengers |
| 33% | ALEXISSMITH | 11 | Singer/actress who appeared on the May 3, 1971, cover of Time Magazine with the headline "That Old Magic Relights Broadway" (2 wds.) |
| 33% | VIN | 3 | Announcer Scully who retired after 67 seasons with the Dodgers |
| 33% | OMAR | 4 | Source of the line "The Leaves of Life keep falling one by one" |
| 33% | OSCAR | 5 | With 70-Across, source of the quip at 21-, 39- and 58-Across |
| 33% | JESSEMCCARTNEY | 14 | Pop singer with Dream Street who was the runner-up on season 3 of "The Masked Singer" as the Turtle: 2 wds. |
| 32% | RONSANTO | 8 | Hall of Fame third baseman who spent 14 seasons with the Cubs |
| 32% | VICTORIA | 8 | __ Falls, part of the Zambezi named after a queen |