Every year, Google releases an online dashboard revealing the words, people, events, and trends that were "Googled" - or searched - the most on its site over the previous 12 months. 

Called Year in Search, the 2022 dashboard shows not only the top trending searches overall, but also breaks down those searches into types like news, people, actors, athletes, sports matches, movies, deaths, recipes, songs, and TV shows. You can even filter them so you can see results globally or in a specific country, such as the US or the UK. 

The most Googled words of 2022: Can you guess what topped the list? photo 2

What are the most 'Googled' words?

It probably won't come as a shock to you, but "Wordle" was the top trending search globally for 2022. Queen Elizabeth and Jeffrey Dahmer also made the top 10 searches. You probably thought you'd never read those two names in the same sentence, eh? We're guessing they were trending because the Queen, of course, passed away, and Netflix released a hit series on Dahmer, an American cannibal serial killer who preyed on minority men in the 80s and 90s. 

Below were the top trending search words globally on Google for the past year:

  1. Wordle
  2. India vs England
  3. Ukraine
  4. Queen Elizabeth
  5. Ind vs SA
  6. World Cup
  7. India vs West Indies
  8. iPhone 14
  9. Jeffrey Dahmer
  10. Indian Premier
The most Googled words of 2022: Can you guess what topped the list? photo 3

Check out Google's Year in Search 2022 dashboard to see more of the top searches - either globally or in your country - for the year.

The most Googled words of 2022: Can you guess what topped the list? photo 1

This year, Google also launched a local hub that showcases interesting trends from all over the US. For example, the Burlington, Vermont area was the only place in the US that had "climbing gym" in its top trending “near me” searches. The area’s top trending animal for 2022? Crawdads. The Anchorage, Alaska and Des Moines, Iowa areas were the only two places in the US that had "quilt shops" in their top trending "near me" searches.

To see your town's trending searches, go here and type in your zip code or city name.