Safari "Paste and Search" function stopped working correctly

I am so frustrated! All of a sudden when I try to use "paste and search" in safari I get a weird result with %20s in it. It happens whether I am trying to paste and search from a word doc or a web page.

I've used paste and search in safari for years without any issues then this just started happening several weeks ago. I tried searching answers on the internet and have been unable to come up with any fix. I have no idea why this just started happening all of a sudden.

Help!!