Wordle, elections dominated Google searches in 2022

Wordle has captured the world’s attention in 2022, at least when it comes to internet searches.

The Daily Word Game took the world by storm, attracting millions of players and spawning several similar games. It was also the most popular search query topic of the year in the US and globally, according to Google 2022 Year in Search. The results, released Wednesday, reflect the most popular searches of the year, according to data from Google Trends.

As word game fans searched for tips and strategies to conquer the hugely popular Wordle, there was certainly more serious research going on. Election results, Ukraine and the passage of Queen Elizabeth II were the top news searches worldwide. Three more celebrity deaths made the top 10 searches in the US – Betty White (#3), Bob Saget (#5) and Anne Heche (#9) – while the rest of the world seemed more interested in cricket and football, accounting for half of the top 10 searches.

The main searches for people and actors were essentially the same in the United States and around the world. Johnny Depp libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard earned two of the top 3 spots for both, at #1 and #3, respectively. The only thing separating them (on Google’s lists, anyway) was Will Smith at No. 2 overall, presumably for slapping comedian Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars. Rock has also landed various rankings on the lists.

Moviegoers around the world and in the United States really wanted to talk about Bruno. Disney’s animated feature film Encanto was the number one movie search in the United States and fifth in the world, while Thor: Love and Thunder and Top Gun: Maverick were other searches that made the top 3 of both lists. The Encanto soundtrack also produced the US chart’s #1 and #2 songs, respectively: We’re not talking about Bruno and surface pressure.

And apparently, we couldn’t get enough of Euphoria either, as the hit teen drama series topped US and global TV show search lists. Strangers Things came in at number two on the US chart, but didn’t chart globally. But we all agreed that we needed to know more about The Watcher, Inventing Anna, House of the Dragon, and Moon Knight.

Other categories included searches for recipes (sugo) and definitions (rupee), but perhaps no other category reflects the average American user’s biggest daily concerns as nearby search results. Topping the list were gasoline prices, while questions about COVID and voting made up the majority of the rest.