Wait, what’s '6-7'? Why the internet’s favourite number is now Word of the Year
What exactly is “67”? Why are teenagers chanting it like a secret handshake, and what does it say about how we communicate today.
Image: Egeardaphotos /Pexels
It’s official, we’re old. While we’re still trying to decode Gen Z slang like rizz and gyatt, Dictionary.com has just crowned “6-7” as its Word of the Year for 2025.
And no, that’s not a typo.
The internet’s most viral “word” isn’t even a word; it’s just two numbers that somehow broke the internet, infiltrated classrooms, and made us all collectively question what language even is anymore.
So, what exactly is 6-7? Why are teenagers chanting it like a secret handshake, and what does it say about how we communicate today?
The meme that started it all
According to online reports, it all began in 2024 when rapper Skrilla casually dropped the line “6-7, I just bipped right on the highway” in his song "Doot Doot (6 7)". Nothing deep. No hidden message. Just a random lyric until TikTok got a hold of it.
Within weeks, “six-seven” became a viral chant, a meme, and a generational in-joke.
Suddenly, every corner of social media was echoing 6-7 from "South Park" parodies to teachers using it as a classroom call-and-response (yes, that’s a thing). Some even linked it to NBA player LaMelo Ball, who happens to be 6-foot-7, turning him into the internet’s accidental mascot.
Now, TikTok has over two million posts under the hashtag #67, according to platform analytics, and the number shows no sign of slowing down.
A language no one understands but everyone feels
When Dictionary.com announced 6-7 as its Word of the Year, even they admitted that it doesn’t technically mean anything. Editors described it as “part inside joke, part social signal, and part performance.”
Translation? It’s not about meaning, it’s about vibe.
In the end, whether seen as brilliance or absurdity, “67” succinctly captures the essence of 2025: it is random, communal, and unapologetically meme-driven.
Image: TikTok
As Steve Johnson, Dictionary Media Group’s Director of Lexicography, put it: “When people say it, they’re not just repeating a meme; they’re shouting a feeling.”
And he’s right. 6-7 isn’t just a number; it’s a cultural moodboard, chaotic, funny, nonsensical, and wildly inclusive. It represents how Gen Alpha communicates: not through traditional words, but through shared digital energy.
If you’ve been wondering what all this has to do with real life, ask a teacher. Across the globe, classrooms have become 67 battlegrounds.
Students whisper “six”, and like clockwork, the rest of the class yells “seven”. Some teachers have banned the chant entirely, while others are leaning into it. One viral video shows a teacher using 6-7 as a classroom command: say “six”, and students know to quiet down.
With over two million posts catalogued under the hashtag #67 on TikTok, the trend shows no signs of slowing down, illuminating a peculiar crossover between meme culture and collective youth identity.
Image: TikTok/screenshot
Others are even turning the meme into a media literacy lesson, explaining how trends evolve in the digital era. Because let’s face it, if you can’t beat the meme, you might as well teach with it.
So… what does this say about us?
This isn’t the first time the Word of the Year has made older generations collectively sigh. Remember when “selfie” and “emoji” made the list? Or last year’s viral pick, “rizz”? Each year’s choice reflects how our culture and communication continue to evolve.
At some point, I thought it was an angel number.
But 6-7 hits differently. It’s the first time a number has taken the crown, showing just how far we’ve drifted from traditional language.
Critics have called it proof of the so-called “brain rot” era, a phrase coined by Oxford University Press to describe meaningless online content dominating our attention spans.
But others argue it’s a fascinating reflection of our times: a reminder that language isn’t dying, it’s transforming. 6-7 might not make sense, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a shared wink, a generational inside joke that says, “You had to be there.”
Millennials, this is our wake-up call.
If you’re a millennial reading this, thinking, “Wait, when did I stop understanding the internet?” you’re not alone. We survived the MixIt era (“wud, lv ya”), witnessed LOL evolve into 💀, and now we’re watching language itself dissolve into vibes and numbers.
It’s strange, hilarious, and oddly beautiful. Because 6-7 isn’t just a Gen Alpha joke, it’s proof that the internet keeps finding new ways to connect us, even when logic takes a back seat.
Whether you think 6-7 is genius or ridiculous, it undeniably captures the essence of 2025: random, communal and powered by memes.