| 100% | ASTORIA | 7 | Waldorf-__, started as two separate hotels in NY |
| 34% | OPEN | 4 | Start, as a run in a theater |
| 33% | SHYAWAY | 7 | Suddenly start, as in fright |
| 33% | FENCE | 5 | The Berlin Wall started as one in 1961 |
| 33% | BETWIXT | 7 | In the space separating two objects |
| 33% | ANTE | 4 | Start a pot, as in poker |
| 33% | OPENON | 6 | Start with, as in a movie |
| 32% | SPLITS | 6 | Separates in two, like a hair strand |
| 32% | ANTE | 4 | Start of a pot, as in poker |
| 32% | REUP | 4 | Start another tour, as in the military |
| 32% | ASTORIA | 7 | Waldorf-__; luxury New York hotels built in 1893 |
| 32% | REUP | 4 | Start another tour, as in the military: Hyph. |
| 31% | HANOI | 5 | Five-letter capital written as two words in its native language |
| 30% | ALDA | 4 | Two-time Emmy winner as best actor in a comedy |
| 30% | PEA | 3 | As alike as two ___s in a pod |
| 30% | NIKE | 4 | It started in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports |
| 30% | EYETEST | 7 | It starts with E, in two different ways |
| 30% | SAFES | 5 | Places to store valuables, as in hotel rooms |
| 30% | SOX | 3 | Knit footwear, as spelled in two baseball team names |
| 29% | THEONION | 8 | It started as a satirical newspaper in 1988 |
| 28% | ACE | 3 | One of two in a poker hand known as "pocket rockets" |
| 28% | PLAY | 4 | "Angels in America" started as one |
| 28% | SHAKENBAKE | 10 | Breadcrumb coating brand ... or, as two words, what is found in the answers to starred clues |
| 27% | SHACK | 5 | Shake ___: fast casual restaurant chain that started as a hot dog stand in Madison Square Park in 2001 |
| 27% | CERTS | 5 | Brand advertised as "two mints in one" |
| 27% | RWANDA | 6 | "Hotel ___," 2004 movie starring Don Cheadle as a hotel manager, shot in the eponymous country |
| 27% | ARTY | 4 | Pretentious, or phonetically the two letters that get separated in this puzzle's theme |
| 27% | ORIONS | 6 | Three bright starts appearing evenly spaced in a straight line, commonly known as " ___ Belt" |
| 27% | SEC | 3 | Collegiate conference that added Oklahoma and Texas as members starting in July 2024: Abbr. |
| 26% | SUN | 3 | Gainesville's daily, started in 1876 as the Times, but renamed in 1879 to this |