How many times have you googled today? The behemoth search engine is an indispensable resource these days, whether you’re doing research, looking for a place to eat, searching for a song or staying informed of the latest news. Each year, Google unveils the top things people searched for around the world. The Year in Search reveals plenty about top trends, from news and movies to pop culture phenomena. Searches are broken down by category — including news, people, athletes, movies, recipes and much more—and some of these results can be downright funny. Here are some of the funniest things that people in the U.S. Googled in 2023.
This year seems to have been a strange one in the kitchen, as searches in the Recipes category show. The number one search is “Grimace Shake.” This is not a recipe (though maybe many of you would like to recreate the strange purple concoction?), but a special McDonald’s shake that spurred a slew of faux-grisly—and very funny—TikTok videos. Other home cooks were very excited to try recipes that sound like a kindergartener’s creation: Lasagne Soup and Chicken Cobbler. We hope it turned out well.
In the How Often category, “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” is obviously number one. This trend blew up as women around the country were shocked to discover that men apparently think about the Roman Empire all the time, and that, indeed, is funny.
Many Googlers needed a bit of help after watching some of this year’s popular movies and shows, or (guilty) wanted to know what the fuss was all about without actually watching. Google's top Explained search results include The Menu, No One Will Save You, Silo and Reptile.
Finally, the one that might make you giggle the most is the list of top Hum to Search: Songs searches. Just picture thousands of people humming into their phones a rendition of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, Kill Bill by SZA or Ballin' by Mustard, and that’s all you need.