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The Search for Distraction

Wordle took 2022 by storm, offering people a short break from everything else.
Wordle took 2022 by storm, offering people a short break from everything else. Photo: Nicholas T Ansell (AP)

And amid all that hard-hitting, heavy news—people sought out small distractions. Or, at least they Google searched for them. “Wordle” was the number one top searched term in 2022. The simple, yet streak-inspiring word game blew up in popularity this year. Its rise was so meteoric, it went from an independent single-widget site to a property of The New York Times after the media giant bought the game from its creator, Josh Wardle.

Other top-searched terms, in descending order:

India vs England

Ukraine

Queen Elizabeth

Ind vs SA

Obviously, despite the gameplay, Google users still kept their eyes on the news, and on sports.

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