[1][2] The show is inspired by the celebrity and pop-culture themed crosswords in People magazine.

[7] Leah Remini was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2022 as Outstanding Game Show Host for her work on People Puzzler.

On a player's turn, they choose one of 8, 9, 10, or 11 words on the board, identifying it in the same way as a regular crossword puzzle (i.e., 1-across, etc.).

Correct answers score points based on the length of the word (similar to both The Cross-Wits and the 1980 NBC version of Chain Reaction), a contestant who correctly solves three words in a single turn is awarded bonus points.

A contestant chosen by a random draw before the show selects one of four categories, and takes the first turn.

In all cases, play passes to the right (as viewed on camera), going back to the left-most position if needed.

If two contestants are tied for second after round 2, a tiebreaker word is played using a buzzer just like the Wheel of Fortune (American game show) one.

The contestant in the lead, or in some shows with the lowest score after round 2, is shown two new puzzles and selects one to play.

The contestant is given 60 seconds to solve all 10 words (time starts when host Remini finishes reading the first clue).