On top of the WORDLE! Online puzzle is Britain’s most Googled term of 2022 – with World Cup, Queen Elizabeth, Ukraine and Lateral Flow Test among most searched words this year
- Wordle beat out news events, crises and TV programs to be most searched term
- Daily puzzle game was Briton’s favourite search term on Google in 2022
- Queen Elizabeth, Ukraine and Johnny Depp also made the top 10 this year
- Her Majesty’s passing was also the top searched news event for the year
- Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results
Wordle was Britain’s most Googled term in 2022, while Queen Elizabeth, the World Cup, Ukraine and Johnny Depp also featured in the top 10.
While the daily puzzle game took out the top spot, the data reflects the highs and lows Britons faced this year, from the tragic death of the Queen, to the cost of living crisis, frequent train strikes and the pandemic.
Matt Cooke, Head of Google News Lab, said the list ‘reflects the arch of emotions experienced’.
‘Amongst the extreme highs and lows, including national mourning and geo-political instability, it’s humbling to see that a game like Wordle supplied comfort.’
Wordle was Google’s most searched term in 2022, while Queen Elizabeth, the World Cup, Ukraine and Johnny Depp also made the top 10
Wordle was Google’s most searched term in 2022 after enjoying a meteoric rise into daily life in late 2021
Wordle enjoyed a meteoric rise into daily life in late 2021, and by January, the New York Times had acquired the rights.
Young and old alike made the game part of their daily routine, trying to guess the five-letter word as they sipped their morning coffee or on their commute.
Interest in the World Cup within the United Kingdom was only spurred on by Wales’ qualification for the first time in 64 years – while England’s success so far has also boosted the results.
Queen Elizabeth rounded out the top three most Googled terms. In the first half of the year, her Platinum Jubilee dominated trends, while her tragic death later took over.
Her Majesty’s passing was also the top searched news event for the year.
Queen Elizabeth rounded out the top three most Googled terms. In the first half of the year, her Platinum Jubilee dominated trends, while her tragic death later took over. Her Majesty’s passing was also the top searched news event for the year
While Covid restrictions may seem like a distant memory for some, the amount of times ‘lateral flow test’ was searched early in the year was enough to see it scrape into the top five
The war in Ukraine featured both in the overall top searches list and the news events list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
While Covid restrictions may seem like a distant memory for some, the amount of times ‘lateral flow test’ was searched early in the year was enough to see it scrape into the top five.
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was the sixth most searched term this year, ahead of his trial for charges relating to attempted rape and assault allegations.
Russia was the seventh most searched term while Quordle – a more hardcore version of the game – came in at eighth.
After the release of Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series, the serial killer was so frequently searched that he catapulted into Britain’s top 10, coming in at ninth place.
Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was the sixth most searched term this year, ahead of his trial for charges relating to attempted rape and assault allegations
After the release of Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series, the serial killer was so frequently searched that he catapulted into Britain’s top 10, coming in at ninth place. Evan Peters (pictured in the series) was in the top 10 most searched actors following his success as the titular character
Rounding out the main list is actor Johnny Depp, who was again thrust into the spotlight this year during his mammoth libel trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Google’s 2022 Year in Search data also collated Britain’s most searched films, news events, people, deaths, questions, musicians and television shows.
The success of shows like Stranger Things also swayed other results – musician Kate Bush trended as the third most searched musician for the year after her 1985 hit Running Up That Hill was featured in a now-iconic scene from the latest season.
Similarly, Evan Peters was in the top 10 most searched actors following his success as the titular character in Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Despite lasting just 44 days in the top job, Liz Truss was the fourth most searched person in the UK this year, followed by her successor Rishi Sunak in number six.
Will Smith and Chris Rock were two of the top searched actors after the infamous Oscars slap, while Johnny Depp and Amber Heard featured in several categories as a result of the mammoth libel trial.
Some of the more unusual searches which featured in the data were: ‘How many countries end in stan?’ and ‘How many wheels are there in the world?’.
See the full results below
News events
1. Queen Elizabeth passing
2. Ukraine
3. Monkeypox
4. Storm Eunice
5. NATO
6. Omicron symptoms
7. Johnny Depp Amber Heard
8. Train strikes
9. Elizabeth Line
10. Cost of living payment
Questions
1. Is the Queen dead?
2. When is the Queen’s funeral?
3. Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
4. Where will the Queen be buried?
5. How old is Diana Ross?
6. What happens when the Queen dies?
7. When is Father’s Day?
8. When does the World Cup start?
9. What is NATO?
10. How did Jamal Edwards die?
Film
1. Encanto
2. The Batman
3. Uncharted
4. Thor Love and Thunder
5. Black Adam
6. Top Gun
7. Everything Everywhere All At Once
8. Gi Jane
9. Jurassic World
10. Morbius
People
1. Mason Greenwood
2. Johnny Depp
3. Will Smith
4. Liz Truss
5. Amber Heard
6. Rishi Sunak
7. Penny Mordaunt
8. Vladimir Putin
9. Diana Ross
10. Chris Moyles
How many?
1. How many cities in Wales?
2. How many countries end in stan?
3. How many people watched the Queen’s funeral?
4. How many doors in the world?
5. How many episodes in Stranger Things 4?
6. How many wheels in the world?
7. How many Tory MPs are there?
8. How many children does the Queen have?
9. How many episodes of Trigger Point?
10. How many King Williams have there been?
Loss
1. Queen Elizabeth
2. Olivia Newton John
3. Anne Heche
4. Jamal Edwards
5. Shane Warne
6. Archie Battersbee
7. Taylor Hawkins
8. Robbie Coltrane
9. Aaron Carter
10. Betty White
When?
1. When is the Queen’s funeral?
2. When is Father’s Day?
3. When does the World Cup start?
4. When is the Queen’s Jubilee?
5. When will the coronation be?
6. When did the Queen die?
7. When does Fifa 23 come out?
8. When did Prince Philip die?
9. When does I’m a Celeb start?
10. When is the next general election?
Actors
1. Johnny Depp
2. Will Smith
3. Amber Heard
4. Chris Rock
5. Jada Pinkett Smith
6. Joseph Quinn
7. Ncuti Gatwa
8. Andrew Garfield
9. Evan Peters
10. Luke Evans
Sport competitions
1. World Cup
2. Australian Open
3. Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
4. UEFA Nations League
5. Winter Olympics 2022
6. Rugby League World Cup
7. Women’s Euro
8. Indian Wells
9. Asia Cup
10. Commonwealth Games
TV
1. Stranger Things
2. The Watcher
3. Stay Close
4. The Tourist
5. Euphoria
6. House of the Dragon
7. Inventing Anna
8. I’m a Celeb
9. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
10. Moon Knight
Source: Read Full Article