Wordle is America's most Googled term of 2022

It was a year that saw Vladimir Putin order his troops into Ukraine, Will Smith storm the Oscars stage to smack Chris Rock, and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

But none of those defining moments of 2022 were the top concerns for Americans, according to Google data.

The search engine has today released its '2022 Year in Search - Themes and Insights', showing the most Googled words this year.

Topping the list of searches is Wordle, the online sensation that saw millions around the world trying to crack its daily puzzles.

Following up was 'election results', as Americans wanted to find the latest updates on the dramatic midterms that saw the Democrats strengthen their hold of the Senate.

Making up the top five searched terms were Betty White, Queen Elizabeth and Bob Saget, as millions mourned the late icons.

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Will Smith were the year's most searched for living people after dominating the headlines.

Heard and Depp were locked into a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit earlier this year, which resulted in a victory for Depp being announced in June.

Around the same time Smith earned his own place as one of the most trending actors of the year, after his controversial moment at the 94th Academy Awards in March.

During the ceremony he stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after comments the comedian made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, returning to the stage moments later to collect the best actor Oscar.

Depp, Smith and Heard also made the top three for the most searched for actors, followed unsurprisingly by Chris Rock, then Uncut Gems star Julia Fox, who recently dated Kanye West. 

Google also released data showing the top searches for films, songs and TV shows.  

And it revealed that Encanto was the number one most searched for film despite being released in November last year.

Superhero blockbusters claimed several of the other top films, with Thor Love And Thunder at number two, and Top Gun: Maverick at number three.

On the small screen, Gen Z drama Euphoria was the most searched for show, followed by Netflix hits Stranger Things, The Watcher and Inventing Anna.

Matt Cooke, Head of Google News Lab, said the 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.'

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