This year’s roundup of the top Google searches includes super local trends

Let’s jump straight to the chase: “Wordle” was Google’s most searched term globally in 2022. The stat was revealed as part of Google’s annual Year in Search report, which highlights the top trending search terms in both individual countries as well as globally. This year, Google is offering an even more granular look at searches in the USA with a new hub that lets you type in your city or ZIP code and see what people in your area specifically are searching for.

As you might expect, the year’s top searches were dominated by terms relating to 2022’s big news events, with “Ukraine” and “Queen Elizabeth” both featuring in the top five. But there were also a surprising amount of searches for specifically Indian (and presumably cricket) sporting fixtures, with “India vs England,” “Ind vs SA,” and “India vs West Indies” all featuring in the top 10. Remember, these are global search rankings, which makes it all the more impressive that Indian-related searches are so highly represented.

Another couple of interesting tidbits: Will Smith, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith take up three of the five top five searches for actors after the events at the Oscars this year. And interestingly, when it comes to films, DC took two spots out of the top five (thanks to Black Adam and The Batman) compared to just one Marvel movie (Thor: Love and Thunder). That said, Thor still took the top spot.

Also, shout out to the UK, where Google’s search data suggests people were absolutely obsessed with the Queen’s death, with “Is the Queen dead?” “When is the Queen’s funeral?” and “Where will the Queen be buried?” making up three of the top five most Googled questions. In case you’re interested, “How old is Diana Ross?” came in fifth, presumably after the ex-Supremes singer performed at both Glastonbury and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations (she’s 78, in case you were wondering). 

Anyway, I thoroughly recommend having a poke around the results, both globally as well as locally in the US. If nothing else, it’s a fun reminder of the frankly obscene amount of stuff that’s happened in 2022, which I feel confident in dubbing the longest year that has ever existed.