| 100% | DEARSIRS | 8 | The start of a formal letter to a group of men |
| 57% | DEARSANTA | 9 | Start of a letter to the North Pole |
| 56% | AHOUSEDIVIDED | 13 | Start of a Lincoln line, and a hint to the circled letters |
| 56% | DEARSANTA | 9 | Start of a letter to the North Pole: 2 wds. |
| 54% | DEARSIR | 7 | Start of a formal letter |
| 54% | SALUTATION | 10 | Start of a formal letter |
| 53% | SEVENSEAS | 9 | Global group, and a hint to the starts of the starred answers |
| 52% | FRINGEELEMENTS | 14 | Radical members of a group, and a hint to the circled letters |
| 51% | SIRS | 4 | "Dear ___" (start of a business letter addressed to unnamed men) |
| 51% | JUSTHAVINGABALL | 15 | Living it up ... or a hint to the six groups of circled letters |
| 50% | HTTP | 4 | Letters at the start of a link |
| 50% | ABC | 3 | Letters at the start of a preschool song |
| 50% | BECAUSEPOEWROTE | 15 | Start of a possible answer to the riddle |
| 50% | NIJINSKY | 8 | Ballet dancer who’s the focus of “Letter to a Man” |
| 49% | USS | 3 | Letters at the start of a destroyer's name |
| 49% | DROPCAP | 7 | Enlarged letter at the start of a chapter |
| 49% | DROPCAP | 7 | Large letter at the start of a chapter |
| 49% | DEARANN | 7 | Start of a letter to Landers |
| 48% | DROPCAP | 7 | Large decorative letter at the start of a chapter |
| 48% | SNAP | 4 | Start of a play to the quarterback |
| 48% | VENI | 4 | Start of a boast to the Senate |
| 48% | ITS | 3 | "The ___ Man", who appeared at the start of each Monty Python's Flying Circus episode only to be cut off after a single word |
| 48% | DEARBUDS | 8 | Start of a letter to one's besties? |
| 48% | ENERO | 5 | Start of the year, to a 63-Across |
| 48% | BULLYOFF | 8 | The former start to a game of hockey |
| 47% | PSI | 3 | Greek letter spelled out at the start of a Beatles title? |
| 47% | ANTE | 4 | Contribute to the start of a hand of Texas hold 'em |
| 47% | HOPESPRINGSETERNAL | 18 | *Alexander Pope phrase appropriate to the start of a sports season |
| 47% | VIS | 3 | Letters common to the start of "vision" and "visor" |
| 47% | PLUMBERS | 8 | '70s covert White House intelligence group ... and, in a more conventional sense, a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues |