| 100% | HONE | 4 | Whet, as the blade of an axe |
| 50% | HONE | 4 | Sharpen, like the edge of an axe |
| 50% | PARE | 4 | Remove, as the skin of an apple |
| 50% | EDIT | 4 | Modify, as the draft of an article |
| 49% | BAM | 3 | The sound of an impact, as in comic books |
| 48% | SNUB | 4 | Lack of an expected nomination, as at the Oscars |
| 47% | DILATE | 6 | Get larger, as the pupil of an eye |
| 47% | NASAL | 5 | As an alternative, left of the nose |
| 46% | OFFAL | 5 | Edible internal parts of an animal, such as the heart and liver |
| 45% | GOODBYE | 7 | Accept the sudden loss of, as an opportunity |
| 45% | AWEIGH | 6 | Just free of the bottom, as an anchor |
| 45% | HONE | 4 | Sharpen, as an axe blade |
| 45% | ROOT | 4 | Part of the plant which acts as an anchor |
| 44% | TUNED | 5 | Adjusted the pitch of, as an instrument |
| 44% | PARE | 4 | Remove the skin of, as an apple |
| 44% | EDIT | 4 | Change the wording of, as an article |
| 44% | REFRAME | 7 | Change the focus of, as an argument |
| 44% | CORED | 5 | Removed the center of, as an apple |
| 44% | TUNED | 5 | Refined the pitch of, as an instrument |
| 44% | ORB | 3 | Another word for a sphere, such as the Sun, which is an ___ of light |
| 44% | RIPEST | 6 | At the peak of maturity, as an apple |
| 44% | FRESHENS | 8 | Improves the smell of, as an unused room |
| 44% | DYES | 4 | Changes the color of, as an Easter egg |
| 43% | TITRATE | 7 | Determine the concentration of, as an acid or base |
| 43% | SMOTE | 5 | Struck, as with the jawbone of an ass |
| 43% | VERTIGO | 7 | An Alfred Hitchcock classic, regarded as one of the best American films ever made |
| 43% | REPUN | 5 | ___ Kamui, Ainu God of the sea who was depicted as an orca |
| 43% | TEDCRUZ | 7 | Senator who once served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review |
| 43% | SAG | 3 | Dip in the middle, as the roof of an old shack |
| 42% | BALI | 4 | An Indonesian island known as the "Island of the Gods" |