Google is the biggest and most widely used search engine, with more than 91% market share among the leading search engine providers. It handles over 1.2 trillion searches per year.
Google has changed our lives forever. Today, it’s hard to imagine a world where Google doesn’t exist. Billions of people use Google daily, and if they were asked, they would probably say they know everything about its search engine.
However, what many people aren’t aware of is that Google is a ‘unicorn tool’ that can do a variety of things, from making appointments and sending messages to tracking your physical location.
Along with the incredible achievements and milestones that Google has in its name, the company is also known for its fun and lighter side. Google has added many Easter eggs, jokes, and hoaxes to its products and services.
We’ve gathered some cool Google tricks that are usually well-hidden. Give them a try by searching the terms yourself. Note that some may not work on mobile devices.
Did you know?
Google handles about 99,000 searchers every second, adding up to a staggering 8.5 billion searches daily.
Less than one percent of users click on Google’s second page. If people don’t find what they need on the first page, they usually tweak their search instead of going to the second page.
Table of Contents
23. Meteor Shower
When you search for “meteor shower” on Google, the screen dims momentarily, and three meteors cross diagonally before it returns to normal. Try it yourself.
22. Drop Bear
If you were to search for the term “drop bear” on Google and then click on a sign at the bottom, something unexpected would happen—specifically, a virtual representation of a “drop bear” would fall down on the screen.
21. World’s Best Boss
The saying “world’s best boss” is a reference to a famous joke from the American television series “The Office.” In the show, a character named Michael Scott proudly declares himself the “World’s Best Boss” and displays this claim on a coffee mug in his office.
When you enter “world’s best boss” into Google, the search engine’s algorithm playfully recognizes this pop culture reference and suggests, “Did you mean Michael Scott?”
20. The Answer To Life, The Universe, and Everything
In 1979, English author Douglas Adams wrote a novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He added a central joke that became more famous than the novel itself: “The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42″.
Google nods at the novel by giving the author the same answer.
19. Askew
If you don’t know what the term ‘askew’ means, Google has a unique way of explaining it. If you type askew in the search box, it will cause the results page to tilt, leaning down, left to right.
18. Anagram
When you search for “anagram” on Google, you’ll notice a quirky suggestion. Google rearranges the letters to propose that you might have been looking for “nag a ram.”
An anagram is a form of wordplay where the letters of a word or phrase are rearranged to create a new word or phrase.
The playful aspect becomes clearer when you search for ‘define anagram,’ and Google suggests, ‘Did you mean: nerd fame again.’
17. Recursion
In computer science, recursion refers to a function that calls itself directly or indirectly. The self-reference is just the sort of programming amusement that entertains Google nerds. If you type ‘recursion’ into the search bar, it will suggest that perhaps you meant to search for recursion.
16. Once In A Blue Moon
A blue moon is the second full moon in a month (or a third or fourth full moon in a season). Although it doesn’t happen very often, it does occur at some level of regularity, which is why the phrase has punch. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the moon’s color.
Since it happens more or less periodically, it is possible to convert this pseudo-period into frequency, which is usually measured in Hertz.
When you type ‘once in a blue moon’ into the search engine, Google displays the frequency, telling you that we can expect a blue moon every 2.71542689 years.
15. The Loneliest Number
According to Google, one is ‘the loneliest number.’ Interestingly, ‘the number of horns on a unicorn’ is also equal to 1.
In fact, the results of several Google tricks can be calculated. For example, ‘the number of horns on a unicorn plus the loneliest number’ will return 2.
14. Google Logo History
If you search for ‘Google logo history,’ it will show you a slideshow of changes to the company logo, starting with the current logo and ending with the ones used in 1998.
13. Google In 1998
‘Google in 1998′ takes you to the early design of Google.com when the company first launched. Yup, that’s the retro look with a Yahoo-like exclamation mark. However, if you search for anything else, it will instantly transport you back to the present-day Google.
In 1998, Google’s founders got their first investment: a $100,000 check. They went to Burger King to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/SE1ld3cmpv
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) November 2, 2023
12. Blink HTML
If you search ‘blink HTML’, ‘blink tag’, or ‘<bling>’, you will see these words blinking in and out on the search results page.
11. Festivus
Type ‘Festivus’ and Seinfeld fans receive an unexpected treat: the undecorated aluminum Festivus pole. It appears on the left side of the search results. The pole starts from the bottom of the page and ends at the top.
It’s a tribute to the alternative holiday tradition inspired by an episode of the American sitcom television series Seinfeld, where George Costanza’s dad tells how he started Festivus to replace over-commercialized Christmas.
10. Wizard Of Oz
Behind the scenes at Google headquarters, it seems there are quite a few Wizard of Oz enthusiasts. Unlike the fictional wizard in the story, Google actually has the power to transport you to Oz and back.
When you search ‘wizard of oz’ on Google, it presents a pair of red slippers. Clicking on them initiates a tornado-like spinning effect on the webpage, accompanied by Judy Garland’s iconic line, “there’s no place like home.”
After the effect concludes, you’ll see a vintage webpage with a tornado in place of the red slippers. Clicking on the tornado makes the page spin again, restoring everything to its original state.
9. Thanos
If you search ‘Thanos’ or ‘Infinity Gauntlet’, Google will show a Knowledge Graph with an Infinity Gauntlet on it. Clicking it triggers a snap, causing half of the search results to disintegrate. Clicking it again brings back the vanished results.
It’s a reference to the Marvel movie Avengers: Infinity War, in which the supervillain Thanos used the Gauntlet to kill half of the life in the universe. The Avengers later used the Gauntlet to undo the destruction caused by Thanos.
This trick would certainly please all the Marvel fans out there.
8. Tic Tac Toe
Searching for ‘Tic Tac Toe’ on Google will display the game, allowing you to play against a friend or the computer at three difficulty levels. Another search phrase for the game is ‘shall we play a game.’
There are plenty of interesting games to keep you engaged, for example, Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Snake.
7. Spinner
When you search for ‘spinner’ on Google, you’ll encounter an interactive spinning wheel with a dropdown menu to set numbers (ranging from 2 to 20). You can switch to a fidget spinner using a toggle button on the top right. To spin it, simply mimic a rotating motion.
Google also offers other quick tools like Mediate, Color Picker, Metronome, Flip a coin, and Roll a die.
6. Super Mario Bros
When you search ‘Super Mario Bros’ on Google, a Knowledge Graph appears with a flashing “?” block. Clicking it produces the classic clinking coin sound. If you click it 100 times, a nostalgic surprise awaits you.
5. Friends Characters
Google has hidden Easter eggs for six characters of a popular American sitcom television series, Friends. If you Google Joey Tribbiani, Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Phoebe Buffay, Monica Geller, and Chandler Bing, you’ll see something unusual in their respective Knowledge Graphs.
Clicking on these ‘unusual elements’ will trigger fun little tricks that take over the standard list of search results.
4. I’m feeling curious
Google isn’t just a way to kill time; it’s a boredom buster that also boosts your general knowledge and adds fun to your learning experience.
Simply type ‘I’m feeling curious’ or ‘fun facts’ into the search bar, and Google will present you with a short fact, usually one to four sentences long, complete with a source link. Keep the fun going by clicking the ‘ask another question’ box to discover countless interesting facts.
3. Animal Sounds
Have you ever wondered what sounds an alpaca or a camel make? Just search for ‘animal sounds,’ and you’ll be presented with a collection of animals whose sounds you can play directly in your browser.
2. Do A Barrel Roll
Type ‘Do a barrel roll’ or ‘z or r twice’ into your search bar, and lo and behold, the content on the webpage completes a 360-degree somersault. That is what we call a Google Barrel Roll.
1. Pronounce Big Numbers
If you want to spell out a large number, simply add ‘=english’ as a suffix in Google. It will display the alphabetical form of the number, and this feature works for numbers up to 13 digits.
More Useful Search Terms
24. Breathing Exercise
U.S. search interest for ‘anxiety’ and ‘breathing exercises’ reached an all-time high this year. If you also searched these terms, you’re not alone. Save this video exercise for when you could use a moment of calmness.✨ pic.twitter.com/8GtgmXGqJF
— Google (@Google) October 16, 2020
Google sometimes includes interactive features or tools directly in search results. For instance, it could be a simple 1 minute-guided breathing exercise that appears on the search results page when you type “breathing exercise.” This feature offers a quick way to engage with wellness practices.
25. Color Picker
Google has implemented a color picker that displays values in RGB, CMYK, HSL, and HSV color models. It’s a useful feature for people working with digital design, web development, or any field that involves color selection.
26. Google Tuner
“Google tuner” offers an instrument tuner right in the search results, helping musicians tune their instruments. To use it, the browser needs permission to access the device’s microphone as it listens to you playing your instrument.
27. Periodic table
When you look up “periodic table” on Google, you’ll see an interactive 3D display of elements from the periodic table right in the search results. Clicking on a particular element triggers a side panel with detailed information about that element.
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It’s funny — we’re only in October 2021 and about half these things are gone.
its now 2022. almost all are gone