6-7 is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year — what it means, its origin and why schools are banning it

In a year defined by internet irony and digital overload, Dictionary.com has crowned 6 7 as its Word of the Year for 2025. The number has dominated social media, baffled parents, and even led to school bans — all while symbolising how language keeps mutating in the age of algorithms and memes. But what does it really mean when a number becomes the world’s most talked-about “word”?

What does 6 7 mean?

The short answer: no one really knows — and that’s the point.

Among Gen Z and younger internet users, 67 loosely translates to “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that.” It’s often paired with a signature gesture — both palms facing up, moving alternately up and down — and used as a playful, often sarcastic reply to almost any question.

Ask a teenager, “How was school today?” and you might hear a deadpan, “67.”

For those in the know, it’s part of a new online vernacular — a kind of secret handshake for the chronically online. And if you’ve already adopted its spinoffs, six-sendy or 41, you’re officially fluent in the internet’s latest inside joke.

How did 6 7 become a thing?

The phenomenon traces back to a song titled “Doot Doot (6 7)” by rapper Skrilla, which gained momentum on TikTok earlier this year. The track inspired countless memes, clips of basketball players mouthing the number, and a viral figure now dubbed “the 67 Kid.”

From there, 67 exploded across platforms, becoming shorthand for detached coolness — a linguistic shrug that says everything and nothing.

Dictionary.com noted that searches for 67 rose sixfold since June 2025, outpacing any other two-digit number.

Why are schools banning it?

Educators across the United States have started banning the use of “67,” describing it as a disruptive classroom trend rather than harmless slang. The expression — often shouted when someone says “six,” prompting others to yell “seven” in response — is typically paired with a “juggling” hand gesture that mimics the viral TikTok move.

Teachers say the fad has become a major distraction. Some schools have reportedly introduced penalties ranging from point deductions to written assignments for students caught using the term in class.

“I’ve been teaching for 20 years and I’ve dealt with all sorts of slang — nothing has driven me crazier than this one,” said Adria Laplander, a sixth-grade language arts teacher in Michigan, told Today.com.

Still, for young users, it’s a sign of belonging — an inside reference that marks participation in a larger cultural moment, even if it leaves adults exasperated.

Why did Dictionary.com choose “67”?

Lexicographers at Dictionary.com said they analysed search data, news headlines, and social media trends to select words that shaped public discourse in 2025.

“67” stood out not for its meaning, but for its meaninglessness — a perfect symbol of what the internet has become. It embodies what some call “brainrot” — the state of being perpetually online, endlessly scrolling, and consuming algorithmically generated content.

Yet, paradoxically, 67 has meaning precisely because of the connection it creates among its users — a generational wink in an overstimulated world.