elgooG is “Google” spelled backwards — the famous mirrored version of the search page where everything, including your search terms, appears flipped right-to-left. Our mirror tool above does it live: type anything and see it flipped, reversed, or turned fully upside down.
Where elgooG came from
elgooG began in the early 2000s as a parody site that mirrored Google’s homepage and results — an internet-culture landmark with a genuinely useful moment in history: when direct access to Google was blocked in some regions, the mirrored site sometimes slipped through filters, briefly making a joke website an accessibility tool. Today elgooG-style sites host whole collections of resurrected Google tricks, and “elgoog” remains one of the most searched easter-egg terms.
Three flavors of backwards
- Mirror flip — the text is rendered right-to-left as a true reflection (CSS scaleX(-1)). Hold it to a mirror and it reads normally.
- Reverse letters — the character order is reversed but each letter stays upright: “Google” → “elgooG”.
- Upside down — each letter is swapped for its flipped Unicode twin and the string reversed: “hello” → “oʃʃǝɥ”. Great for messages that make people tilt their heads.
Related tricks
Google’s own search has a sibling easter egg: search for askew and the page leans — try our adjustable version at Askew / Tilt. For the full collection, start at Google Easter Eggs or type like a pirate with text-based easter eggs.
What does elgooG mean?
It’s simply “Google” reversed — the name of the famous mirrored version of the search page, now shorthand for the whole genre of mirrored/retro Google tricks.
Is elgooG owned by Google?
No — it’s an independent fan project and always has been. Google’s own easter eggs (askew, barrel roll) live inside real search.
How does upside-down text work?
There’s no “upside-down font” — each letter is replaced with a visually flipped Unicode character and the string is reversed. It’s plain text, so you can copy-paste it anywhere.
Can I copy the mirrored text?
Reverse and upside-down modes produce copyable text. True mirror flip is a visual CSS effect, so copying gives the original characters.