‘How do you pronounce...?’: Google releases top searches in 2021

Google has released its annual list of top searches for 2021 and one United States category included how to pronounce words like charcuterie and quinoa.

The top two searches were "Dogecoin" and "Michael Jackson." 

For Dogecoin, The Wall Street Journal reported that according to the cryptocurrency’s co-founder, Billy Markus, the correct pronunciation is "dohj coin." Some prefer to pronounce the first syllable like "dog" or "doggy."

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Dogecoin, a coin that arose from a popular meme in 2013, was primarily used to reward and tip quality content providers on Reddit and Twitter. Since then, Dogecoin has grown a massive following and has become a coin accepted by many merchants all over the world.

Supporters of Dogecoin are trying to help it shed its image as a joke cryptocurrency and get it seen as a way to make fast and easy transactions.

Google didn’t explain why "How to pronounce Michael Jackson?" made it on the U.S. list, but its chart showed that interest piqued in July even though nothing noteworthy happened at that time. Jackson died in 2009 at his Los Angeles home after receiving a lethal dose of the drug intended for use only during surgery and other medical procedures — not for insomnia. His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, gave the singer propofol, as he had many times before, then left him unattended. Murray, who maintains his innocence, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 and served prison time. 

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Other top search terms included the first name of Vice President Kamala Harris. Her first name is pronounced "KAH’-mah-lah" — or, as she explains in her biography, "‘comma-la,’ like the punctuation mark." 

Other people wanted to know how to pronounce Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s son’s name, "X Æ A-12." Musk shared exactly how to pronounce the name. "It's just 'X,' the letter 'X,' and the 'Æ' is pronounced 'ash' and then 'A-12' is my contribution," he said on a "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast episode in May 2020.

FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.