'Wordle,' 'Ukraine' among Google's top searches in 2022

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - “Wordle,” the web-based word game and “Ukraine” were among Google's top search terms globally in 2022, according to the search engine's annual "Year in Search" report released Thursday.

The search for the game, in which players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, skyrocketed in February after The New York Times acquired it for an undisclosed price in the low seven figures from its Welsh software engineer, Josh Wardle.

The second most searched term in 2022 was "India vs England" when the two countries clashed in the semifinal of the Cricket World Cup on Nov. 10. The third most searched term was “Ukraine” amid Russia's war that started in February.

“Ukraine” was also the top trending news this year, followed by passing of “Queen Elizabeth II” who died in September. The 96-year-old monarch was also the fourth most searched term on Google.

“Buckingham Palace” in London, UK was the top cultural landmark searched on Google Maps, while “Sky Garden” in the city became the top searched scenic spot.

As for celebrities, Hollywood actor “Johnny Depp” topped the most searched person amid his televised defamation trial against former wife “Amber Heard” -- the third most searched person in 2022.

“Will Smith” was the second most searched person after he slapped comedian Chris Rock live on stage at the Oscars before winning the Best Actor award for his role in King Richard.

In the movies, “Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder” topped the search list, followed by “DC's Black Adam” and “Top Gun: Maverick” -- the sequel to the 1986 classic, and has become the highest-grossing film in Tom Cruise's career and possibly for the entire year, grossing more than $1.4 billion worldwide.

“Euphoria,” starring Zendaya, was the most popular search in a television series, topping the fantasy drama, “House of the Dragon” which is a prequel to Game of Thrones.

In sports, the ongoing “FIFA World Cup” in Qatar ranked first in Google searches. It was followed by the “Olympic medal count” during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.