Dictionary.com has named “6-7” as its Word of the Year for 2025, acknowledging the phrase as “impossible to define” while recognising its impact on language and culture across the year.
The phrase is believed to have originated from a song called “Doot Doot (6 7)” by rapper Skrilla.
The term gained momentum through TikTok videos featuring basketball players and a child known as the “6-7 Kid”.
Within weeks, teachers across schools began sharing strategies online about managing students who repeated the phrase throughout the day.
Searches for 6-7 on Dictionary.com increased more than sixfold beginning in June 2025. The surge has continued without signs of stopping. Other two-digit numbers showed no trends over the same period, indicating something distinctive about 67.
The phrase can be written as 6 7, 6-7, or six-seven, but should never be pronounced as “sixty-seven”. #67 has garnered over 2.3 million posts on TikTok alone.
What does 6-7 mean?
Some users say it means “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that”, particularly when accompanied by a hand gesture where both palms face upwards and move alternately up and down. Others use it as a response to any question, regardless of context.
Dictionary.com‘s lexicographers analysed data including headlines, social media trends, and search engine results to select the Word of the Year. They identified words that made an impact on conversations online and in the real world.
Gen Alpha slang and ‘brainrot’ culture
The phrase has been described as having all the hallmarks of “brainrot ” – the result of being online, scrolling, and consuming content fed by algorithms. A timed use of 67 signals membership of an in-group. Spinoff terms including “six-sendy” and “41” have emerged.
Brainrot
AI Generated
Brainrot, in the context of internet culture, refers to the phenomenon of excessive and often mindless consumption of online content, leading to a perceived decline in cognitive function or attention span. It is often associated with highly repetitive, absurd, or nonsensical trends and memes that dominate social media and online platforms.
According to a report by The New York Times, parents last week reportedly wore “6-7” costumes for Halloween, believing they were in on the joke. They were probably already behind on newer slang.
The phrase has become the subject of social media posts by parents and explainers in outlets. Several months after “6-7” began appearing in classrooms and online, adults have been trying to understand it.
