A word denoting a concern for social injustice was the most Googled definition by Canadians in 2023, according to a survey by Crossword Solver.
The puzzle solving website analyzed Google search data to determine the most searched-for word definitions in every country, including Canada.
The data showed that “woke” was the most looked-up definition in Canada, with 7,200 searches per month.
“Racism” was the second most Googled definition with 5,400 monthly look-ups, followed by “recession” with 4,600, and “woman” was Canada’s fourth most searched definition.
“The study shows that Canadians are keen to know the meaning of words circulating in today’s discourse,” Crossword Solver said in a press release.
Canadian searches also reflected a wider trend seen across all of North America, which saw a desire to understand the meaning of words in relation to jobs, economics and responsibility.
For example, Americans, like Canadians, were keen to understand the meaning of recession, which placed fourth in U.S. look-ups, while the most sought word in the U.S. was “gaslighting” with 130,000 monthly searches.
“Women” and “Gaslighting” also appeared in the U.K’s top ten searches, at number six and ten respectively, as did “Pegging.” Searches for the definition of this sexual practice also garnered attention in Canada, making the number seven spot, compared to number ten in the U.K.
To determine the most searched word definitions in every country, Crossword Solver ranked words based on searches made in conjunction with the word “definition”. For each country, the terms with the highest monthly search volume were selected.
