| 100% | CROW | 4 | Word after "scare" to refer to a fall staple that would butter you up with "You got me standing tall!" |
| 55% | JACK | 4 | ___ o'lantern, fall staple that would butter you up with "You make me light up!" |
| 51% | CORN | 4 | Fall staple that would butter you up with "I'm all ears for you!" |
| 49% | LEAVES | 6 | Fall's colorful staple that would butter you up with "I keep falling for you!" |
| 41% | BONFIRE | 7 | Cozy fall night favorite that would warm you up with "I feel a spark between us!" |
| 39% | DRESS | 5 | Word that follows "black" to refer to a wardrobe staple often associated with elegance |
| 33% | GPT | 3 | You will see these letters suffixed with "chat" to refer to a popular AI bot |
| 33% | SPELLING | 8 | Word with 11a, to refer to a contest where you might hear some letters recited |
| 32% | HORSE | 5 | Neighing animal ... also a word that goes with "fly" to refer to a bloodsucking insect |
| 32% | SPEED | 5 | *Runner's stat ... or a word that goes with "trap" to refer to a radar trap |
| 32% | FEST | 4 | Word that refers to a celebration with a specific focus, which originated from German |
| 31% | FIRE | 4 | Heat source at a campsite ... also a word that goes with "fly" to refer to a lightning bug |
| 31% | SAND | 4 | *Hourglass filler ... or a word that goes with "trap" to refer to a bunker on a golf course |
| 31% | FLY | 3 | *Buzzing pest ... or a word that goes with "trap" to refer to a snare for the said pest |
| 31% | BEAR | 4 | *Grizzly or Polar, e.g. ... or a word that goes with "trap" to refer to a metaphorical financial trap |
| 31% | COURT | 5 | Word with "ship" to refer to the course of a romantic relationship that might lead to marriage |
| 31% | CHESS | 5 | Word that refers to a strategic board game with black-and-white squares, and ends with "ss" |
| 30% | IBERIA | 6 | Airline with a hub in Madrid that will fly you direct from there to Washington, DC |
| 30% | BETTER | 6 | "___ the Devil You Know," 1990 song by Kylie Minogue with a title that refers to a common idiom |
| 29% | TROT | 4 | Word after "fox" to refer to a dance |
| 29% | INERT | 5 | With 3-Down, those you're quite unlikely to get a reaction from? |
| 29% | BUTTER | 6 | Dairy product spread on bread ... also a word that goes with "fly" to refer to an insect with colorful wings |
| 29% | PICK | 4 | "I've got a bone to ___ with you" |
| 29% | SCORE | 5 | "I've got a ___ to settle with you!" |
| 29% | NOB | 3 | One of wealth and standing in Britain ... and a word that can be slangily used to refer to one's "head" |
| 29% | MARKET | 6 | Word that follows "black" to refer to a shadow economy |
| 29% | KEEPER | 6 | Word that follows "horse" to refers to a stable caretaker |
| 29% | HOUSE | 5 | Place where one lives ... or a word that goes with "fly" to refer to an insect that's often found in kitchens |
| 29% | BOT | 3 | Non-human, automated message responder ... also a word that goes with "fly" to refer to an insect (also called a warble fly) |
| 29% | RADISH | 6 | Word that follows "horse" to refer to a zesty root vegetable |