hey Google
/heɪ ˈɡuːɡəl/
CommonThe wake phrase for Google Assistant. Also used as shorthand for talking to any voice assistant.
The sarcastic use is common online. Someone asks an easy question in a group chat and someone replies 'hey Google' to imply they should just search it themselves.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | hey google what's the weather tomorrow | Literally querying Google Assistant. | youtube, 2022 |
| 02 | someone in the group chat asked what year ww2 ended. someone replied 'hey google' | Sarcastic suggestion to just search the obvious question. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | my kid learned to say hey google before please and thank you. parenting win | Joking that a child learned to use voice assistants very early. | x, 2023 |
| 04 | the hey google on my phone just activated during a meeting. not ideal | Google Assistant was accidentally triggered at a bad time. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Literally waking Google Assistant on a device.
- Sarcastically responding to someone who asked a question they could have googled.
- Referencing the experience of using a voice assistant.
Do not use it when
- You mean talking to Alexa or Siri specifically.Use “alexa-moment” instead.
Hey Google vs Alexa moment
hey Google
Hey Google is the literal wake phrase and also shorthand for any voice assistant use.
VS
alexa-moment
Alexa moment describes the experience of accidentally triggering a smart speaker.
Origin and context
Google Assistant launched in 2016 with 'Ok Google' as the original wake phrase. 'Hey Google' was introduced alongside Google Home and became the more common form.
- First seen
- 2016
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/hey-googleUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0