Here’s How To Use Google When Playing HQ Trivia

As the ancient internet proverb goes, use the 10 seconds that live quiz app HQ Trivia gives you wisely. And if you decide you want to spend any of those 10 seconds scouring a search engine for an answer? Perhaps consider some helpful tips for what to Google during HQ Trivia. They may not guarantee winnings, but they may guide you in the right direction.

If you've turned to Google while HQ Trivia-ing, you aren't the only one. Around 3 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET (aka HQ Trivia o'clock part one and HQ Trivia o'clock part two), lots of people are asking the search engine for help. For example, New York Magazine noted that a bunch of people googled the word “Herculaneum" around 3 p.m. ET last Monday. Why? Oh, maybe it something to do with a HQ Trivia question about the town of Herculaneum. Just a hunch.

And when there was a question about the hottest planet in the solar system during that same game? You better believe folks reached out to Google. As Inverse pointed out, there was a sudden spike in “hottest planet” searches right when HQ Trivia asked a question about the — you guessed it — hottest planet. And so on and so forth.

Now, maybe you’re too noble of a player to look up answers. Maybe you believe it's cheating to utilize the search engine in the middle of a round. Maybe you wouldn’t dare google while playing HQ Trivia. And hey, that’s OK. Live your noble truth. However, if you’re down to make Google part of your HQ Trivia gameplay, these suggestions may help you out.

If you plan on googling an HQ Trivia question, don’t waste any of your 10 seconds typing out the entire inquiry. Instead, zero in on the meat and potatoes of the question. As Mashable’s Alex Hazlett advised,

“Phrasing is key. Plenty of HQ questions are put in a way that make this tough for a search engine to answer. We found that the trick is not to try to ask the exact question, but rather focus on the keywords and trust Google's powerful search algorithm to surface the needed info.”

When the Nov. 20, 2017 game asked, “Which baseball hitter holds the record for most total bases in a 9-inning game?", it would've taken too long to plug the entire question into Google. Typing out "total bases 9 record," on the other hand, is a much quicker way to reach the destination: The fourth search result is Shawn Green's Wikipedia page, and what do you know, Shawn Green's name is the correct answer. Of course, searching keywords on Google won't always be fast enough, but it can work.

And if you really want to pump out those searches? Hazlett recommends using Google Assistant. She explained,

“The fastest way to do it is to use the Google voice search on an Android phone. We tried other ways — typing into Google or even some complex player grouping systems — but nothing quite worked.”

When you call up Google Assistant, remember: time is of the essence. Cut to the chase and make sure your inquiry gets right to the keywords. Oh, and be sure to skip the salutation. Hazlett continued,

"Don't bother starting with 'OK, Google.' You'll lose precious time you can't afford. But if you hit the mic icon and make a very strategic query, you should be able to get a pretty reliable Google result with 2 to 3 seconds to spare – just enough time to process it and tap the right option."

It wouldn't feel like a real trivia night if at least one competitor wasn't trying to not-so-subtly google answers behind a plate of nachos. Can't wait for the inevitable HQ Trivia update that includes a bar trivia host who stomps over to your table and kicks you out of the game when they catch you scrolling through a Wiki page on your cell phone.