| 100% | PLUG | 4 | Spell this "electric" word backward to get a cartoon sound of swallowing |
| 56% | POT | 3 | Spell this "earthen" word backward to get a child's spinner |
| 55% | EMIT | 4 | Spell this "radiating" word backward to get something a clock keeps |
| 52% | DESSERTS | 8 | Spell this "sweet" word backward to describe someone under a lot of pressure |
| 45% | NERD | 4 | Spell "drunk" backward and you get a potential etymology of this word, an unlikely partier |
| 39% | LIVE | 4 | Spell this "showbiz" word backward for a demonic adjective |
| 39% | REGAL | 5 | Spell this "royal" word backward for a refreshing golden brew |
| 38% | SCRABBLE | 8 | Aim to get a triple word score in this board game |
| 36% | REDRUM | 6 | Backwards spelling of a nasty word in The Shining |
| 36% | CONFUSION | 9 | Puzzlement ... or a hint to getting the 10 words on the perimeter of this puzzle |
| 36% | HEYYOU | 6 | Words to get the attention of a stranger: 2 wds. |
| 36% | INTERVIEWWHEEZE | 15 | Sound of a job seeker who ran hard to get to an appointment on time? |
| 35% | INREVERSE | 9 | Backwards, and a hint to four of this puzzle's answers |
| 35% | EDGEWISE | 8 | One way to get a word in ... and an aural hint to a feature of the starred clues' answers |
| 34% | IBEFOREE | 8 | Part of a spelling rule, and a hint to this puzzle's theme |
| 33% | APHERESIS | 9 | Loss of a sound at the start of a word, as "opossum" to "possum" |
| 33% | CAT | 3 | In 1963, William Oldendorf got a patent that led to commercial availability of this type of scanner in 1972 |
| 33% | EDGEWISE | 8 | Way to get a word in |
| 33% | ESPY | 4 | To get a fleeting glimpse of |
| 33% | ODOR | 4 | Something to get a whiff of |
| 33% | DIALING | 7 | Trying to get a hold of |
| 33% | GULP | 4 | Sound of a swallow |
| 33% | EDGEWISE | 8 | One way to get a word in |
| 33% | ABLE | 4 | Not ___ to get a word in edgewise |
| 33% | INTERSTATE | 10 | (adj.) to get a word in edgewise |
| 32% | RANGE | 5 | Place to get a bucket of balls |
| 32% | OPEDPAGE | 8 | Place to get a variety of views |
| 32% | BAR | 3 | Place to get a round of drinks |
| 32% | SEAT | 4 | Ready to get a piece of furniture |
| 32% | POOF | 4 | Sound of a cartoon vanishing |