As of 2026, the most searched thing on Google in the US is “youtube”, with about 85.9 million searches a month. “amazon” (85.8 million) and “chatgpt” (68.6 million) follow. Worldwide, “chatgpt” now leads with about 811 million monthly searches. These are September 2026 estimates from the Ahrefs keyword database, not figures Google publishes.
Last updated: October 12, 2026. Next update: when the October 2026 keyword data is released in early November 2026.
Key Google Search Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- 5 trillion+ searches happen on Google every year [Google, internal data from January 2025].
- That works out to roughly 13.7 billion searches a day and 158,000 a second [my calculation from Google’s figure].
- “youtube” is the most searched term in the US, at about 85.9 million searches a month [Ahrefs estimate, September 2026].
- “chatgpt” is the most searched term worldwide, at about 811 million searches a month, ahead of “whatsapp web” (483 million) and “youtube” (383 million) [Ahrefs estimate, September 2026].
- 3 of the top 4 worldwide searches are AI or messaging tools: chatgpt (#1), whatsapp web (#2) and chat gpt (#4). “gemini” ranks #16 [Ahrefs estimate, September 2026].
- Gemini was the #1 trending search worldwide in 2025 [Google Year in Search 2025].
- Indian Premier League was the #1 trending search in India in 2025, and Charlie Kirk was #1 in the US [Google Year in Search 2025].
- Searches starting with “Tell me about…” rose 70% in 2025, and “How do I…” hit an all-time high, up 25% [Google, December 2025].
- Google handled 89.94% of worldwide search referrals in September 2026, 85.19% in the US and 96.69% in India [StatCounter].
On this page: Top searches in the US | Top searches worldwide | What people search for | Trending searches of 2025 | India | Most searched questions | Trending right now | Google’s market share | Why lists differ | FAQs | Sources
What Is the Most Searched Thing on Google?
The short answer: YouTube in the US, and ChatGPT worldwide.
People type “youtube” into Google about 85.9 million times a month in the US, even though most of them could just open the app. That is the pattern across the whole list. Most top searches are navigational. People use Google as a launcher to reach a site they already know.
The bigger change is ChatGPT. In my September 2026 data pull, “chatgpt” is the #1 search on the planet with about 811 million monthly searches. Add the spelling “chat gpt” (321 million) and the total is over 1.1 billion a month. Two years ago, no AI brand was near the top.
Before we go further, one clear warning. Google does not publish search volumes for individual keywords. Every “monthly searches” number on this page, and on any similar page, is an estimate from an SEO tool’s clickstream and panel data. I have labelled them that way throughout.
Top 100 Most Searched Things on Google in the US
These are the 100 highest-volume Google searches in the United States, based on estimated monthly searches in September 2026. I added the category column myself to show what kind of search each one is.
| Rank | Search term | Est. monthly searches | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | youtube | 85.9 million | Social and video |
| 2 | amazon | 85.8 million | Shopping |
| 3 | chatgpt | 68.6 million | AI |
| 4 | gmail | 57.4 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 5 | wordle | 48.4 million | Games and puzzles |
| 6 | 41.6 million | Social and video | |
| 7 | weather | 40.2 million | Weather |
| 8 | 36.0 million | Email, docs and work tools | |
| 9 | chat gpt | 31.8 million | AI |
| 10 | translate | 29.7 million | Translation |
| 11 | google translate | 27.6 million | Translation |
| 12 | walmart | 25.8 million | Shopping |
| 13 | nfl | 25.5 million | Sports |
| 14 | weather tomorrow | 24.9 million | Weather |
| 15 | canva | 24.1 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 16 | calculator | 21.0 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 17 | fox news | 18.2 million | News and finance |
| 18 | target | 17.8 million | Shopping |
| 19 | google docs | 17.8 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 20 | home depot | 17.6 million | Shopping |
| 21 | 17.4 million | Social and video | |
| 22 | roblox | 16.6 million | Games and puzzles |
| 23 | ebay | 16.4 million | Shopping |
| 24 | yahoo | 16.2 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 25 | google maps | 15.6 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 26 | news | 15.2 million | News and finance |
| 27 | amazon prime | 15.1 million | Shopping |
| 28 | traductor | 14.3 million | Translation |
| 29 | blooket | 14.0 million | Games and puzzles |
| 30 | world cup | 14.0 million | Sports |
| 31 | yahoo mail | 13.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 32 | spotify | 12.3 million | Social and video |
| 33 | google flights | 12.1 million | Shopping |
| 34 | nfl scores | 11.9 million | Sports |
| 35 | charlie kirk | 11.5 million | News and finance |
| 36 | nba | 11.5 million | Sports |
| 37 | clever | 11.4 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 38 | food near me | 10.8 million | Shopping |
| 39 | google classroom | 10.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 40 | zillow | 10.7 million | Shopping |
| 41 | kahoot | 10.7 million | Games and puzzles |
| 42 | gemini | 10.6 million | AI |
| 43 | snake | 10.5 million | Games and puzzles |
| 44 | netflix | 10.3 million | Social and video |
| 45 | tiktok | 10.2 million | Social and video |
| 46 | costco | 9.8 million | Shopping |
| 47 | bitcoin price | 9.4 million | News and finance |
| 48 | etsy | 9.3 million | Shopping |
| 49 | connections | 9.2 million | Games and puzzles |
| 50 | cool math games | 9.1 million | Games and puzzles |
| 51 | 9.1 million | Social and video | |
| 52 | solitaire | 8.9 million | Games and puzzles |
| 53 | snake game | 8.7 million | Games and puzzles |
| 54 | discord | 8.6 million | Social and video |
| 55 | 8.6 million | Social and video | |
| 56 | shein | 8.6 million | Shopping |
| 57 | indeed | 8.4 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 58 | speed test | 8.4 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 59 | trump | 8.3 million | News and finance |
| 60 | world cup schedule | 8.3 million | Sports |
| 61 | usps tracking | 8.1 million | Shopping |
| 62 | english to spanish | 8.1 million | Translation |
| 63 | maps | 8.0 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 64 | espn | 8.0 million | Sports |
| 65 | lowes | 7.9 million | Shopping |
| 66 | nfl games | 7.7 million | Sports |
| 67 | spanish to english | 7.7 million | Translation |
| 68 | 7.6 million | Social and video | |
| 69 | nba scores | 7.5 million | Sports |
| 70 | prodigy | 7.4 million | Games and puzzles |
| 71 | 7.4 million | Social and video | |
| 72 | dow jones | 7.2 million | News and finance |
| 73 | fifa world cup | 7.2 million | Sports |
| 74 | capital one | 7.1 million | Shopping |
| 75 | outlook | 7.1 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 76 | gold price today | 7.0 million | News and finance |
| 77 | google drive | 6.9 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 78 | lululemon | 6.7 million | Shopping |
| 79 | best buy | 6.6 million | Shopping |
| 80 | world cup bracket | 6.5 million | Sports |
| 81 | airbnb | 6.4 million | Shopping |
| 82 | silver price today | 6.4 million | News and finance |
| 83 | world cup fixtures | 6.3 million | Sports |
| 84 | iran | 6.3 million | News and finance |
| 85 | gimkit | 6.2 million | Games and puzzles |
| 86 | restaurants near me | 6.2 million | Shopping |
| 87 | streameast | 5.8 million | Social and video |
| 88 | math solver | 5.8 million | AI |
| 89 | fedex tracking | 5.8 million | Shopping |
| 90 | epic | 5.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 91 | mlb scores | 5.6 million | Sports |
| 92 | fifa world cup 2026 | 5.6 million | Sports |
| 93 | cnn | 5.5 million | News and finance |
| 94 | nfl schedule | 5.5 million | Sports |
| 95 | clima | 5.5 million | Weather |
| 96 | dodgers | 5.4 million | Sports |
| 97 | doordash | 5.3 million | Shopping |
| 98 | google slides | 5.3 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 99 | cvs | 5.2 million | Shopping |
| 100 | mlb | 5.2 million | Sports |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, US database, September 2026 (third-party estimates). Categories by jitendra.co.
What stands out in the US list
- Shopping is the biggest category. 22 of the top 100 are stores or shopping tasks: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, eBay, Costco, Zillow and package tracking.
- School tools are everywhere. Blooket, Kahoot, Gimkit, Prodigy, Clever and Google Classroom all make the top 100. Students are a huge share of US search traffic during term time.
- Sport is seasonal. NFL terms climb in September, and FIFA World Cup terms (the tournament ran in June and July 2026) were still in the top 100 in September.
- AI is now a top-3 search. “chatgpt” sits at #3, “chat gpt” at #9 and “gemini” at #42.
Top 100 Most Searched Things on Google Worldwide
Here are the 100 biggest Google searches across all countries, also in estimated monthly searches for September 2026. Notice how many are in languages other than English.
| Rank | Search term | Est. monthly searches | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | chatgpt | 811.2 million | AI |
| 2 | whatsapp web | 482.8 million | Social and video |
| 3 | youtube | 383.0 million | Social and video |
| 4 | chat gpt | 320.6 million | AI |
| 5 | translate | 235.2 million | Translation |
| 6 | weather | 208.5 million | Weather |
| 7 | amazon | 206.3 million | Shopping |
| 8 | canva | 187.4 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 9 | 176.2 million | Social and video | |
| 10 | gmail | 174.3 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 11 | 160.9 million | Social and video | |
| 12 | clima | 160.1 million | Weather |
| 13 | 141.8 million | Email, docs and work tools | |
| 14 | weather tomorrow | 116.1 million | Weather |
| 15 | traductor | 108.4 million | Translation |
| 16 | gemini | 107.1 million | AI |
| 17 | roblox | 106.3 million | Games and puzzles |
| 18 | 104.5 million | Social and video | |
| 19 | google translate | 89.5 million | Translation |
| 20 | tiktok | 89.3 million | Social and video |
| 21 | मौसम | 85.0 million | Weather |
| 22 | wordle | 80.7 million | Games and puzzles |
| 23 | 77.2 million | Social and video | |
| 24 | fifa world cup 2026 | 61.7 million | Sports |
| 25 | gold rate today | 58.7 million | News and finance |
| 26 | google maps | 57.9 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 27 | погода | 54.1 million | Weather |
| 28 | netflix | 53.5 million | Social and video |
| 29 | speed test | 50.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 30 | proxy | 50.3 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 31 | maps | 49.8 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 32 | कल का मौसम | 48.7 million | Weather |
| 33 | yahoo | 46.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 34 | outlook | 46.6 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 35 | clima para amanhã | 45.4 million | Weather |
| 36 | real madrid | 45.2 million | Sports |
| 37 | gemini ai | 44.0 million | AI |
| 38 | (adult term, removed) | 43.1 million | Other |
| 39 | poki | 42.9 million | Games and puzzles |
| 40 | yahoo mail | 42.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 41 | wa web | 42.5 million | Social and video |
| 42 | 41.8 million | Social and video | |
| 43 | spotify | 40.9 million | Social and video |
| 44 | flamengo | 40.6 million | Sports |
| 45 | hava durumu | 40.1 million | Weather |
| 46 | india national cricket team vs south africa national cricket team match scorecard | 39.7 million | Sports |
| 47 | discord | 39.5 million | Social and video |
| 48 | tradutor | 39.2 million | Translation |
| 49 | premier league | 38.3 million | Sports |
| 50 | nfl | 38.2 million | Sports |
| 51 | sarkari result | 37.3 million | News and finance |
| 52 | tiempo de mañana | 36.9 million | Weather |
| 53 | hotmail | 36.8 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 54 | 36.1 million | Social and video | |
| 55 | news | 35.5 million | News and finance |
| 56 | nba | 34.6 million | Sports |
| 57 | ind vs sa | 34.2 million | Sports |
| 58 | calculator | 34.1 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 59 | shein | 34.1 million | Shopping |
| 60 | serie a | 33.0 million | Sports |
| 61 | fb | 32.8 million | Social and video |
| 62 | cuaca | 32.2 million | Weather |
| 63 | tiempo | 32.0 million | Weather |
| 64 | bbc news | 31.5 million | News and finance |
| 65 | переводчик | 31.1 million | Translation |
| 66 | walmart | 30.2 million | Shopping |
| 67 | ebay | 30.2 million | Shopping |
| 68 | gpt | 30.2 million | AI |
| 69 | india national cricket team vs new zealand national cricket team match scorecard | 29.6 million | Sports |
| 70 | australian men’s cricket team vs india national cricket team match scorecard | 29.3 million | Sports |
| 71 | iphone 17 | 28.9 million | News and finance |
| 72 | gg dịch | 28.3 million | Translation |
| 73 | ikea | 28.2 million | Shopping |
| 74 | yt | 27.4 million | Social and video |
| 75 | flipkart | 26.9 million | Shopping |
| 76 | kahoot | 26.9 million | Games and puzzles |
| 77 | ig | 26.8 million | Social and video |
| 78 | погода завтра | 26.7 million | Weather |
| 79 | south africa national cricket team vs india national cricket team match scorecard | 25.8 million | Sports |
| 80 | 天気 | 25.8 million | Weather |
| 81 | google docs | 25.7 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 82 | çeviri | 25.7 million | Translation |
| 83 | temu | 25.3 million | Shopping |
| 84 | (gambling site term, removed) | 25.2 million | Other |
| 85 | india national cricket team vs australian men’s cricket team match scorecard | 25.0 million | Sports |
| 86 | ipl 2026 | 24.9 million | Sports |
| 87 | x | 24.8 million | Social and video |
| 88 | amazon prime | 24.6 million | Shopping |
| 89 | world cup | 24.1 million | Sports |
| 90 | météo | 24.1 million | Weather |
| 91 | pogoda | 24.0 million | Weather |
| 92 | speedtest | 23.9 million | Email, docs and work tools |
| 93 | mundial de clubes | 23.8 million | Sports |
| 94 | ipl standings | 23.7 million | Sports |
| 95 | チャットgpt | 23.3 million | AI |
| 96 | skyscanner | 23.3 million | Shopping |
| 97 | google flights | 23.1 million | Shopping |
| 98 | airbnb | 23.1 million | Shopping |
| 99 | cricket | 23.1 million | Sports |
| 100 | yandex | 23.0 million | Email, docs and work tools |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, global database, September 2026 (third-party estimates). Two adult and gambling terms were removed. Categories by jitendra.co.
What stands out in the global list
- Weather is a giant. 15 of the top 100 global terms are weather searches in different languages: “weather”, “clima”, “погода” (Russian), “मौसम” (Hindi), “hava durumu” (Turkish) and more.
- India shows up everywhere. “मौसम”, “कल का मौसम”, “gold rate today”, “sarkari result”, “flipkart”, “ipl 2026” and several India cricket scorecards are all in the global top 100.
- Cricket and football beat the NFL globally. Sports make up 18 of the top 100 global terms, led by cricket scorecards, Real Madrid, Flamengo and the Premier League.
- Translation is a top need. Seven translation terms in the global top 100 (“translate”, “traductor”, “google translate”, “tradutor”, “переводчик”, “gg dịch” and “çeviri”) add up to about 558 million searches a month.
What Do People Search for Most on Google?
When I grouped the top 100 terms by type, a clear pattern showed up. The US list leans toward shopping and work tools. The global list leans toward weather, social apps and sport.
| Category | Terms in US top 100 | Terms in worldwide top 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Shopping and delivery | 22 | 11 |
| Email, docs and work tools | 17 | 15 |
| Sports | 16 | 18 |
| Social and video | 12 | 17 |
| Games and puzzles | 11 | 4 |
| News and finance | 10 | 5 |
| Translation | 5 | 7 |
| AI tools | 4 | 6 |
| Weather | 3 | 15 |
Source: jitendra.co analysis of the September 2026 top 100 lists above.
As an SEO, here is what I take from this. Almost none of these terms are worth chasing for a normal website. They are brand searches, and the brand owns the result. The value of the list is in what it tells you about behaviour: people trust Google as their front door to the web, and AI tools have now joined that front door.
Why do people Google “google” and “youtube”?
It sounds silly, but it is normal. Many people type a brand name into the browser’s address bar, and the browser sends it to Google as a search. Others search because they do not remember the exact web address. “google” itself gets about 36 million US searches a month in the Ahrefs data. Searches like “gmail”, “yahoo mail” and “outlook” work the same way.
Google’s Top Trending Searches of 2025 (Year in Search)
Google’s own annual list is called Year in Search. It is the only official list Google publishes, and it measures something different from volume.
Google ranks the searches that grew the most between January 1 and November 25, 2025, compared with the same period in 2024. Google says plainly that these should be called “trending searches”, not “most searched”, because generic words like “weather” are popular every year.
Top trending searches worldwide in 2025
| Rank | Searches | News | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gemini | Charlie Kirk assassination | d4vd |
| 2 | India vs England | Iran | Kendrick Lamar |
| 3 | Charlie Kirk | US Government Shutdown | Jimmy Kimmel |
| 4 | Club World Cup | New Pope chosen | Tyler Robinson |
| 5 | India vs Australia | LA Fires | Pope Leo XIV |
| 6 | DeepSeek | Hurricane Melissa | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi |
| 7 | Asia Cup | TikTok ban | Shedeur Sanders |
| 8 | Iran | Zohran Mamdani elected | Bianca Censori |
| 9 | iPhone 17 | USAID | Zohran Mamdani |
| 10 | Pakistan and India | Kamchatka Earthquake and Tsunami | Greta Thunberg |
Source: Google Trends, Year in Search 2025 (Global), published December 4, 2025.
Two things jump out. Gemini topped the whole planet, and cricket filled four of the top ten spots. India’s matches against England, Australia and Pakistan, plus the Asia Cup, show how much search weight India’s cricket fans carry.
More global trending lists from 2025
| Rank | Movies | TV shows | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anora | Monster: The Ed Gein Story | Arc Raiders |
| 2 | Superman | Squid Game 3 | Battlefield 6 |
| 3 | Minecraft Movie | Adolescence | Strands |
| 4 | Thunderbolts* | Severance | Split Fiction |
| 5 | Sinners | The Summer I Turned Pretty | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| 6 | Happy Gilmore 2 | White Lotus | Path Of Exile 2 |
| 7 | Final Destination: Bloodlines | Pluribus | Grand Theft Auto 6 |
| 8 | Weapons | American Primeval | Pokemon Legends: Z-A |
| 9 | 28 Years Later | Alien: Earth | Minecraft |
| 10 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Landman | Roblox |
Source: Google Trends, Year in Search 2025 (Global).
Podcasts had their own list too. The top trending podcasts worldwide were The Charlie Kirk Show, New Heights, This Is Gavin Newsom, Khloe In Wonder Land and Good Hang With Amy Poehler. As a podcast host, I find it telling that four of the top five were personality-led shows, not topic shows. If you are thinking about starting a show, my list of the best SEO podcasts shows how the strongest shows in our niche are built around one clear voice.
Top trending searches in the US in 2025
| Rank | Searches | Movies | Songs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Kirk | KPop Demon Hunters | Wood – Taylor Swift |
| 2 | KPop Demon Hunters | Sinners | DtMF – Bad Bunny |
| 3 | Labubu | The Minecraft Movie | Golden – HUNTR/X |
| 4 | iPhone 17 | Happy Gilmore 2 | The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift |
| 5 | One Big Beautiful Bill Act | Thunderbolts* | Father Figure – Taylor Swift |
| 6 | Zohran Mamdani | F1 | Predador de perereca – MC Jhey |
| 7 | DeepSeek | Jurassic World Rebirth | Soda Pop – Saja Boys |
| 8 | Government shutdown | Final Destination Bloodlines | Opalite – Taylor Swift |
| 9 | FIFA Club World Cup | Weapons | Ordinary – Alex Warren |
| 10 | Tariffs | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Takedown – HUNTR/X |
Source: Google Trends, Year in Search 2025 (United States).
The US also had a fun “Why do kids say…” list. The top entries were “67”, “Sigma”, “41”, “Skibidi” and “Ohio”. Parents were clearly confused, and Google was where they went for answers.
Most Searched Things on Google in India
India has no official volume ranking either, but two data sets tell the story. In volume terms, Indian searches like “मौसम” (weather in Hindi, about 85 million searches a month), “कल का मौसम” (tomorrow’s weather), “gold rate today”, “sarkari result” and “flipkart” all reach the global top 100. In trend terms, Google’s India Year in Search list is shown below.
Top trending searches in India in 2025
| Rank | Overall | AI | “What is” questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Premier League | Google Gemini | What is Waqf Bill |
| 2 | Google Gemini | Gemini AI Photo | What is Factorial of 100 |
| 3 | Asia Cup | Grok | What is Operation Sindoor |
| 4 | ICC Champions Trophy | DeepSeek | What is Mock Drill |
| 5 | Pro Kabaddi League | Perplexity | What is SIR |
| 6 | Maha Kumbh Mela | Google AI Studio | What is Ceasefire |
| 7 | Women’s World Cup | ChatGPT | What is HMPV virus |
| 8 | Grok | ChatGPT Ghibli Art | What is Kalma |
| 9 | Saiyaara | Flow | What is Indus Water Treaty |
| 10 | Dharmendra | Ghibli Style Image Generator | What is DeepSeek |
Source: Google Trends, Year in Search 2025 (India), and Google India blog, December 2025.
A few more India lists worth knowing:
- Movies: Saiyaara, Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1, Coolie, War 2 and Sanam Teri Kasam.
- People: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, Abhishek Sharma, Shaik Rasheed and Jemimah Rodrigues.
- Near me: Earthquake near me, Air Quality near me, Dandiya Night near me, Durga Puja near me and Chhava Movie near me.
- Meaning: Ceasefire, Mock Drill, Pookie, Mayday and 5201314.
What strikes me most is the AI list. Two of India’s top ten overall trends were AI tools: Google Gemini at #2 and Grok at #8. India did not just watch the AI wave in 2025, it searched its way into it. If you are building for Indian users, my guide to the best free AI apps covers the tools people here actually use.
What Are the Most Googled Questions?
Google does not publish a “top questions” volume list. What it does publish are question trends inside Year in Search, plus some patterns in its December 2025 recap.
| Question pattern | What Google reported | Market |
|---|---|---|
| “Tell me about…” | Up 70% year over year | Global, 2025 |
| “How do I…” | All-time high, up 25% | Global, 2025 |
| “What’s the deal with…” | Used more than ever, e.g. “What’s the deal with 6-7?” | Global, 2025 |
| “How do I know if my Labubu is real?” | Rose to the top of “How do I” questions | Global, 2025 |
| “What is Waqf Bill” | #1 trending “What is” question | India, 2025 |
| “Ceasefire meaning” | #1 trending “Meaning” search | India, 2025 |
| “Why do kids say 67” | #1 in the “Why do kids say” list | US, 2025 |
| “How to create nano banana image” | Highlighted as a viral 2025 search | Global, 2025 |
Sources: Google Keyword blog “Year in Search 2025” (December 4, 2025), Google Trends Year in Search 2025, Think with Google “Top search trends and marketing takeaways”.
The shift here matters for anyone who writes content. People now talk to Google the way they talk to a chatbot. Longer, conversational questions are growing fastest. That is exactly the type of query that triggers AI Overviews, so pages that answer one question clearly near the top, like this one does, have a better shot at being cited.
What Is Trending on Google Right Now?
“Most searched” lists change slowly. “Trending” changes every hour. Here is a snapshot from Google Trends’ Trending Now page, taken early on October 12, 2026 (IST), for the past 24 hours.
| Trend (US) | Searches, past 24h | Trend (India) | Searches, past 24h |
|---|---|---|---|
| eagles vs jaguars | 2M+ | prince yadav | 500K+ |
| giants vs commanders | 500K+ | quentin sampson | 500K+ |
| raiders vs patriots | 500K+ | liverpool vs man city | 200K+ |
| vikings vs saints | 500K+ | pakistan vs sri lanka | 200K+ |
| colts vs steelers | 200K+ | rinku singh | 200K+ |
| broncos vs chargers | 200K+ | inter miami vs d.c. united | 100K+ |
| lions vs cardinals | 100K+ | shamar springer | 100K+ |
| social security 2027 cola announcement | 50K+ | nepal flash floods | 20K+ |
Source: Google Trends, Trending Now (US and India, past 24 hours), checked October 12, 2026.
It was an NFL Sunday in the US, so football games filled the board. In India, cricket names (Prince Yadav, Rinku Singh) and international football led. This is the best free tool for spotting a topic before it peaks, and I check it every morning before planning content.
How Many Searches Does Google Get a Day?
Google said in March 2025 that it sees “more than 5 trillion searches” a year, based on its internal data from January 2025. It was the first new official total since 2016, when Google said “at least 2 trillion”.
| Time period | Google searches (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Per year | 5 trillion+ (official) |
| Per month | About 417 billion |
| Per day | About 13.7 billion |
| Per hour | About 571 million |
| Per minute | About 9.5 million |
| Per second | About 158,500 |
Source: Google (5 trillion+ per year). The smaller units are my own division of that figure, so treat them as averages.
Google has also said for years that about 15% of the searches it sees every day are brand new, meaning it has never seen them before. That is why no top-100 list, including mine, captures most of what people search. The long tail is enormous.
Google is still the default way the world searches. In September 2026 it held 89.94% of worldwide search referrals across all devices.
| Search engine | Worldwide share (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|
| 89.94% | |
| Bing | 5.29% |
| Yahoo! | 1.36% |
| Yandex | 1.31% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.74% |
| Baidu | 0.44% |
Source: StatCounter Global Stats, all platforms, September 2026. StatCounter measures referral clicks from search pages, not total searches.
| Month (2026) | Bing | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 89.87% | 4.43% |
| February | 90.01% | 4.98% |
| March | 89.85% | 5.13% |
| April | 90.02% | 5.14% |
| May | 90.46% | 4.98% |
| June | 91.25% | 4.68% |
| July | 91.32% | 4.46% |
| August | 91.02% | 4.55% |
| September | 89.94% | 5.29% |
Source: StatCounter Global Stats, worldwide, all platforms.
India is one of Google’s strongest markets. In September 2026, Google had 96.69% of search referrals in India, against 85.19% in the US, where Bing (9.91%) is stronger because of Windows and Edge defaults.
My take: Bing’s 5.29% worldwide is its best month in StatCounter’s records, but Google’s share has hovered around 90% all year. The bigger shift is not another search engine. It is AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini answering questions directly, which is also why both now sit inside the top Google searches themselves.
Why Do “Most Searched” Lists Differ So Much?
If you compare five pages on this topic, you will get five different top tens. Here is why.
- Google does not publish keyword volumes. Every volume is an estimate built from clickstream data, browser panels and Google Ads data, then scaled up.
- Different tools, different models. In the table below, the same US terms get very different numbers from Ahrefs and Semrush.
- Trending is not the same as most searched. Google’s Year in Search ranks growth, not volume.
- Spelling variants are split. “chatgpt” and “chat gpt” are counted separately, as are “translate” and “google translate”.
- Timing. Sports, weather and school tools swing a lot by month.
| Search term | Ahrefs estimate (Sept 2026) | Semrush estimate (May 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| youtube | 85.9 million | 185 million |
| amazon | 85.8 million | 151 million |
| chatgpt | 68.6 million | 55.6 million |
| gmail | 57.4 million | 55.6 million |
| wordle | 48.4 million | 55.6 million |
| 41.6 million | 101 million | |
| weather | 40.2 million | 9.1 million |
| 36.0 million | 83.1 million | |
| chat gpt | 31.8 million | 37.2 million |
| translate | 29.7 million | 30.4 million |
| google translate | 27.6 million | 37.2 million |
| walmart | 25.8 million | 45.5 million |
| nfl | 25.5 million | 30.4 million |
| weather tomorrow | 24.9 million | not in its top 100 |
| canva | 24.1 million | 20.4 million |
Sources: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer (September 2026) and Semrush Keyword Overview data (published May 2026). Both are third-party estimates.
Look at “youtube”: 85.9 million in one tool and 185 million in the other. “weather” is 40.2 million in one and 9.1 million in the other. Neither is “wrong”. They are different models, measured in different months. When I plan content for clients at Digiexe, I never trust one tool’s number on its own. I look at the trend direction in Google Trends and then sanity-check volume across two tools.
How to find the most searched things in your niche
You do not need the global top 100. You need the top searches for your topic. Here is the simple process I use:
- Start in Google Trends. Enter your topic, set the country and time range, and read the “Related queries” panel (both Top and Rising).
- Check Google autocomplete and “People also ask”. These come straight from real searches.
- Pull volumes from two keyword tools and treat them as a range, not a fact.
- Look at what already ranks. If the top results are all brands, the query is navigational and hard to win.
- Refresh monthly. Search demand moves fast. I covered the bigger picture of how search and content are changing in my blogging statistics roundup, and why video results matter so much in my video SEO statistics page.
What These Google Search Trends Mean for Marketers
Here is my read of the data, as someone who has done SEO for over 12 years.
- AI is now a search category of its own. ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek and Perplexity all appear in the top lists or trending lists. Optimising for AI answers is no longer optional.
- Google is a launcher. Most of the top 100 are brand names. Strong brands get “free” navigational traffic. That is a good reason to build a brand, not just rank for keywords.
- Questions are getting longer. “Tell me about” up 70% and “How do I” at an all-time high means content should answer full questions clearly, in plain English.
- India is a search superpower. Hindi weather terms, “sarkari result” and cricket scorecards all reach the global top 100. Local-language content in India is badly under-served.
- Social platforms are search destinations too. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are all top-25 global searches. See my social media statistics for how big those audiences are.
FAQs About the Most Searched Things on Google
What is the number one most searched thing on Google?
In the US, “youtube” is the top Google search with about 85.9 million monthly searches (Ahrefs estimate, September 2026). Worldwide, “chatgpt” now leads with about 811 million monthly searches. Google itself does not publish keyword search volumes.
What was the most searched thing on Google in 2025?
Google’s Year in Search 2025 named Gemini as the top trending search worldwide. Charlie Kirk led the US list and the Indian Premier League led India’s list. These are the fastest-growing searches of the year, not the highest-volume ones.
How many searches does Google get per day?
Google says it handles more than 5 trillion searches a year, based on internal data from January 2025. That is roughly 13.7 billion searches a day, or about 158,000 searches every second, on average.
What is the most searched thing on Google in India?
By volume, weather terms like “मौसम”, plus “gold rate today”, “sarkari result” and cricket scores, are among India’s biggest searches. By trend, Google’s Year in Search 2025 named the Indian Premier League as India’s top trending search, followed by Google Gemini.
Is ChatGPT searched more than Google?
On Google itself, yes in some regions. Worldwide, “chatgpt” got about 811 million estimated monthly searches in September 2026 versus about 142 million for “google”. In the US, “chatgpt” ranks #3 and “google” ranks #8 (Ahrefs estimates).
Why is “youtube” searched so much on Google?
Most people type the brand name into their browser’s address bar, which sends it to Google as a search. Others search because it is faster than typing a full web address. This is called a navigational search, and it dominates the top 100.
How often do the most searched things on Google change?
The top 10 by volume changes slowly, because it is mostly big brands like YouTube, Amazon and Gmail. Trending searches change every hour. Google’s Trending Now page updates continuously, and its Year in Search list is published once a year, in December.
Final Take: Brands, AI and Weather Rule Google
The most searched things on Google are not surprising: YouTube, Amazon, Gmail, Facebook and weather have topped lists for years. What is new is AI. ChatGPT is now the #1 search worldwide in the latest estimates, and Gemini was the #1 trending search of 2025.
For marketers, the lesson is simple. Build a brand people search for by name, answer full questions in plain English, and watch Google Trends for what is rising, not just what is big. I will refresh this page every month with the latest data.
Why Should You Trust Me?
I am Jitendra Vaswani. I have worked in SEO and digital marketing for 12 years. I founded the agency Digiexe and run AffiliateBooster, and I host the Inside a Hustler’s Brain podcast, where I talk with SEOs, founders and creators.
Keyword research is my daily work. For this page, I used Google’s own Year in Search and Trends data first, then used third-party keyword estimates only for search volumes, and labelled them clearly as estimates.
Sources
- Google, “AI, personalization and the future of shopping” (March 2025), source of the 5 trillion+ annual searches figure
- Alphabet Q1 2025 earnings call (April 24, 2025)
- Google Keyword blog, “Year in Search 2025: What and how we searched this year” (December 4, 2025)
- Google Trends, Year in Search 2025: Global, United States and India lists
- Google Trends, Year in Search data methodology page
- Google India blog, “India’s Year in Search 2025” (December 2025)
- Think with Google, “Top search trends and marketing takeaways”
- Google Trends, Trending Now (US and India), checked October 12, 2026
- Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, top US and global Google searches, September 2026 (third-party estimates)
- Semrush Keyword Overview data, top US Google searches, May 2026 (third-party estimates)
- StatCounter Global Stats, search engine market share (worldwide, US and India), January to September 2026
- Search Engine Land, Google 5 trillion searches report (March 2025)
- Hindustan Times and India Today, coverage of India’s Year in Search 2025 (December 2025)
Jitendra Vaswani is a globally recognized expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at leading international events and is the founder of Digiexe, a results-driven digital marketing agency; Venuelabs, a platform that helps brands amplify their voice with expert PR and marketing solutions; and AffiliateBooster, an affiliate marketing news site. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Jitendra has empowered countless businesses to thrive online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, has sold more than 20,000 copies worldwide, reflecting his influence and dedication to helping digital marketers achieve success. Follow Jitendra on Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
