Google Askew: The Tilted Page Easter Egg
Searching "askew" on Google tilts the whole results page about five degrees to the right and leaves it there — a visual pun on the word's meaning. Search "tilt" for the same effect. The panel below is tilted the same way; press the button to straighten it.
Updated
Try it on Google
Go to google.com and search askew. The page leans to the right — subtly enough that people sometimes think their screen is broken — and stays leaning while you scroll. Searching for anything else puts it back. The word tilt triggers the same effect.
How it works
Like do a barrel roll, askew is a CSS transform applied to the results page: a rotation of roughly five degrees clockwise, with a short transition so it eases into place. Because it is a transform, the page is still fully interactive — links click, text selects — it is simply drawn at an angle. The demo panel above is tilted with the same rule.
- Trigger phrases
- askew · tilt
- Effect
- ≈5° clockwise tilt, persistent
- Launched
- 2011
- Family
- Self-describing search easter eggs
The self-describing easter eggs
Askew belongs to a small group of Google tricks that demonstrate the word you searched for:
- recursion — Google suggests "Did you mean: recursion?", forever.
- anagram — "Did you mean: nag a ram?"
- define anagram — "Did you mean: nerd fame again?"
- askew / tilt — the page tilts.
- do a barrel roll — the page rolls.
For the tricks that are actual games — Snake, Pac-Man, Minesweeper, the dinosaur — see the full list of Google games.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when you search askew on Google?
The results page rotates slightly clockwise — about five degrees — and stays that way while you read. Everything still works; it is just crooked. Searching for anything else straightens it.
Does "tilt" do the same thing as "askew"?
Yes. Both words trigger the same tilt. "Slanted" and "crooked" do not.
Why did Google make the askew easter egg?
As a pun: the page demonstrates the word it defines. It is one of a set of self-describing search tricks, alongside "recursion" (which asks "Did you mean: recursion?") and "anagram" ("Did you mean: nag a ram?").
Is the askew effect the same as do a barrel roll?
Same technique, different result. Both use a CSS rotation on the page body; barrel roll animates through a full 360° once, askew applies a small fixed angle and leaves it.
