Puzzle game Wordle, the World Cup and the late Queen have been revealed as the top trending search topics in the UK during 2022.
Google's Year in Searches has been revealed for 2022, showing the most searched words, questions, and news events in the UK and around the world. Wordle, the World Cup, and Queen Elizabeth II took the top three spots, followed by Ukraine and lateral flow tests.
'Is the Queen dead?' and 'When is the Queen's funeral?' were the two most searched questions in the UK, with 'Why is Russia invading Ukraine?' in the third spot. Wordle also topped the list as the most searched term locally.
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The top 10 searches list in the UK also included Russia, Wordle alternative Quordle, and Johnny Depp. The puzzle game which asks people to guess a five-letter word each day rose to prominence at the start of the year and has since been bought by the New York Times as well as spawned a number of unofficial spin-offs.
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Google builds its lists by identifying the top trending search queries, which are searches that have a high spike in traffic over a sustained period compared to last year. The death of the Queen was the top trending news event of the year.
Other top news stories include the war in Ukraine, Monkeypox, Omicron symptoms, train strikes, the opening of the Elizabeth line and cost of living payments, which all make the top 10.
In sport, the World Cup – currently taking place in Qatar, the Australian Open tennis tournament and the Africa Cup of Nations football championship were the top three trending searches of the year for the UK. The Women's Euros, won by the Lionesses this summer, also appeared in the top 10, and globally England v India was the second most searched term overall as the countries faced off in the T20 cricket tournament.
Matt Cooke, head of Google News Lab, said: “As we reach the end of 2022, the Year in Search trends are an insightful recap of what the nation has faced in the past 12 months. This year’s 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 alongside family favourites like Encanto and Eurovision that provide a common thread to bring the nation together.”
Following her appearance in the legends slot at Glastonbury, Diana Ross was the top trending musician of the year, ahead of Boy George and Kate Bush. While Disney film Encanto was the top trending film search of the year, with Stranger Things the top TV show.
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