Find out if you had the same questions as the rest of the world.
It can be hard to keep track of the ever-changing trends coloring our culture these days, so many of us find ourselves turning to Google to stay on top of things. (What are NFTs, anyway?) And if you consulted the search engine to understand what the fuss is all about around a particular event or term this year, you’re certainly not alone.
On Wednesday, the tech giant released its report on 2022’s most popular searches, with data reflecting the queries that received a significant increase in traffic over a sustained period of time this year, compared to last year. In a blog post, the company said the results were reflective of “the moments, people and trends that sparked our collective curiosity.”
Unsurprisingly, the popular game Wordle claimed the top spot worldwide after drawing millions of users around the world. So if you Googled around for hints to solving this five-letter guessing game that set social media on fire, you shouldn’t feel too bad. The game even beat out more newsy topics, such as Ukraine, which drew significant interest following its bloody invasion by Russia at the start of the year.
There was also a flurry of searches for “Queen Elizabeth,” whose death in September prompted a days-long funeral procession, as well as plenty of fascination with the 2022 World Cup, which has made news as much for the thrilling games as the serious scandals that often overshadowed the competition.
Curious to see what else piqued users’ curiosity? Check out the lists below.
Google’s 2022 Year in Search
General searches
While this might not have been the case so much in the U.S., cricket and soccer had much of the world’s attention overall. Other than sports and games, people were interested in learning more about Apple’s latest iPhone and the American serial killer who inspired the harrowing Netflix show, Dahmer.
- Wordle
- India vs England
- Ukraine
- Queen Elizabeth
- Ind vs SA
- World Cup
- India vs West Indies
- iPhone 14
- Jeffrey Dahmer
- Indian Premier League
News
In addition to Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the Ukraine-Russia conflict, concerns about an uptick of cases of the viral disease monkeypox garnered some interest, as did the Category 4 storm that left upwards of about $40 billion in property damage in parts of Florida.
- Ukraine
- Queen Elizabeth passing
- Election results
- Powerball numbers
- Monkeypox
- Hurricane Ian
- Johnny Depp verdict
- Texas school shooting
- Will Smith Oscars
- Roe v. Wade
People
Actor Johnny Depp led Google’s list of trending people in 2022 following his dramatic defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard (who also made the list). In second place was Will Smith, who was ultimately banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years after slapping comedian Chris Rock (who comes in a few spots lower) at this year’s ceremony.
- Johnny Depp
- Will Smith
- Amber Heard
- Vladimir Putin
- Chris Rock
- Novak Djokovic
- Anne Sorokin (Delvey)
- Andrew Tate
- Rishi Sunak
- Simon Leviev
