Do not search for or download any file labeled "Microsoft Word 2012." Use the free, legal alternatives listed above instead.

He Googled it again. It turned out "Word 2012" didn't technically exist as a standalone product. There was Office 2010, and then Office 2013. The "2012" he had found was a ghost—a version released by OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) as a stopgap, a strange hybrid of the two eras, often called "Office Starter" or a specialized release.