Wordle outright won Google this year

The amount of stuff that human beings search for on the Internet every day during a year would surely boggle the minds of those very same people, tapping away to find recipes for avocado toast, local personal trainers, or King Charles III impersonators. Put aside your search for an authentic former Prince Of Wales for a little while though, because the reigning monarch of search this year was puzzle game Wordle. Who would have guessed?

Every annum, Google publishes a lookback at what mankind’s been rummaging up online in their Year In Search review (thanks BBC). In 2022, Wordle actually came above Ukraine, Queen Elizabeth, and several Indian cricket matches to nab the number one spot in global search. It also took home gold in the UK, leaving the World Cup to slum it in second place. I’m actually mildly impressed with my country for that. In the US, Wordle managed to place above “election results” and the passing of actor Betty White and comedian Bob Saget. Cricket still won out in India, however.

The revelation that Josh Wardle’s little puzzle game that could have essentially stomped every other search term into the ground this year doesn’t come as a big surprise. Like a lot of people, apparently, I’ve been playing it fairly religiously for months now. I’ve even flipped on hard mode, and worked on choosing the best Wordle starting word my meagre intellect could think of. It’s IRATE, if you were wondering. I got the answer in two guesses today thanks to that one, smug git that I am.

You can play Wordle in your browser at the New York Times site here. If you’re ever stuck figuring out the answer then check our daily Wordle guides.