| 100% | RAT | 3 | Year of the ___ (2008 or 2020) |
| 68% | RAT | 3 | Year of the ___ (what 2008-09 was) |
| 62% | OBAMA | 5 | Time's Person of the Year in 2008 |
| 60% | OBAMA | 5 | Time's Person of the Year for 2008 and 2012 |
| 60% | RAT | 3 | Year of the ___ (2020, in the Chinese zodiac) |
| 59% | ODIE | 4 | Dog in the 2008 book "30 Years of Laughs and Lasagna" |
| 59% | HIND | 4 | Female of the red deer when aged three years or more |
| 59% | RAT | 3 | Year of the ____ (2020, as per the Chinese calendar) |
| 57% | BET | 3 | Teyana Taylor won Video Director of the Year at its 2020 award show |
| 57% | OBAMA | 5 | Barack who was Time's Person of the Year in 2008 and 2012 |
| 57% | RIZZ | 4 | Oxford's 2023 Word of the Year, defined as "style, charm, or attractiveness" |
| 57% | EVAN | 4 | 2008 AL Rookie of the Year Longoria |
| 57% | NAOMI | 5 | Osaka named one of the Sportspersons of the Year by "Sports Illustrated" in 2020 |
| 57% | CHASE | 5 | ___ Young, Washington Commanders player who was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 |
| 57% | EILISH | 6 | Billie ___, singer who won five Grammy awards including Record of the Year in 2020 |
| 57% | HARDER | 6 | Pernille ___, UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award winner in 2018 and 2020 |
| 57% | AUTHENTIC | 9 | Merriam-Webster's 2023 Word of the Year, defined as "not false or imitation" |
| 56% | REHAB | 5 | Song of the Year at the 2008 Grammys |
| 55% | WOMAN | 5 | Year of the ___ (2018) |
| 55% | TIGER | 5 | Year of the ___ (2022) |
| 55% | REHAB | 5 | 2008 Grammy Song of the Year by Amy Winehouse |
| 55% | VMA | 3 | Annual cable channel prize for Song of the Year or Artist of the Year, in brief |
| 55% | MIRANDALAMBERT | 14 | "Bluebird" country singer who won Music Video of the Year at the 2020 CMAs: 2 wds. |
| 55% | SASHA | 5 | ___ Banks, American professional wrestler who was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2020 |
| 55% | LEBRONJAMES | 11 | Los Angeles Lakers forward who was Time's Athlete of the Year in 2020 (2 wds.) |
| 55% | BARACKOBAMA | 11 | Political victor who was Time's Person of the Year in 2008 and 2012: 2 wds. |
| 55% | PRIDEMONTH | 10 | Year of the Cat, briefly? |
| 54% | STEVEMCQUEEN | 12 | "Bullitt" star, or the director of "12 Years a Slave": 2 wds. |
| 54% | BRAINROT | 8 | 2024 Word of the Year, per Collins Dictionary (just the shaded squares) or Oxford (the entire entry) |
| 54% | AMY | 3 | ___ Winehouse, "Rehab" singer who was 24 when she won the 2008 Grammy for Record of the Year |