| 100% | OTRANTO | 7 | Town on the SE tip of Italy that's the title setting for a Horace Walpole novel |
| 46% | OTRANTO | 7 | Italian city that is the title setting of a Walpole novel |
| 43% | CASTLE | 6 | The ___ of Otranto, a looming fortress that sets the stage for supernatural events in Horace Walpole's eponymous Gothic tale |
| 38% | OTRANTO | 7 | "The Castle of ___," novel by Horace Walpole that is considered a seminal work for gothic fiction |
| 36% | HELLO | 5 | Greeting that's the title of a 2015 hit for Adele |
| 35% | DOUBLEDUTCH | 11 | Sport that's the title of a 2002 novel by Sharon M. Draper |
| 35% | WEAREEVERYWHERE | 15 | Rallying cry that's the title of a book on the Queer Liberation Movement |
| 35% | NIGHTWATCH | 10 | Jayne Anne Phillips novel set in a post-Civil War asylum that's on the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction (2 wds.) |
| 34% | SALE | 4 | FOR ___ (sign in front of a house that's on the market) |
| 33% | SEA | 3 | Title setting for a Hemingway novel, with "the" |
| 32% | HOME | 4 | "___ on the Range," western folk song that's also the Kansas state song fitting for a "National Day of the Cowboy" playlist |
| 32% | WRATH | 5 | "The Grapes of ___," novel by John Steinbeck, set in the Great Depression, that was a major reason for him winning the Nobel Prize |
| 32% | RAIN | 4 | Cloud shower that sets the perfect mood for a steaming cup of tea |
| 32% | STAR | 4 | (9/10) "Let's put a twinkly ___ on the top of your Christmas tree for that final touch!" |
| 32% | TARE | 4 | Button on a butcher's scale that allows for the weight of the container |
| 32% | CHASER | 6 | Drink that follows a hard-liquor shot ... or the title of a song on Carrie Underwood's latest album |
| 31% | PALAU | 5 | Micronesian island that was the setting for a season of "Survivor" |
| 31% | ALEE | 4 | On the side of a ship that's away from the wind |
| 31% | CHURCHBELLS | 11 | Chimes that beckon parishioners on Sunday morning ... or the title of a song on Carrie Underwood's latest album: 2 wds. |
| 31% | ALASKA | 6 | State that's the title of a Maggie Rogers song |
| 31% | HALO | 4 | Bright object that's the title of a Beyonce hit |
| 31% | ARLEN | 5 | Fictional town in Texas that is the setting for "King of the Hill" |
| 31% | EXISTENTIALDRE | 14 | Good title for a reflective book on the life of a rap Dr.? |
| 31% | SPINNINGSILVER | 14 | 2019 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel winner by 27-Across that's loosely based on the tale of "Rumpelstiltskin" (2 wds.) |
| 31% | JESSE | 5 | Name that's the title of a 1980 Carly Simon hit |
| 31% | RONNIE | 6 | Name that's the title of a 1964 4 Seasons hit |
| 31% | SEDAN | 5 | Town on the River Meuse, site of a 1940 World War II battle that began the German invasion of France |
| 31% | STALECEREAL | 11 | Menu item #1: A bowlful of Cap'n Crunch that's been on top of the fridge for four years |
| 30% | AWKWARDQUEST | 12 | Searching for that one lost shoe after a night on the town, e.g.? |
| 30% | HAVANA | 6 | Capital city that's the title of a #1 Camila Cabello hit |