Yes, you read that right. Dictionary.com picked “6-7” as its Word of the Year for 2025, and this decision created a lot of controversy. Some people saw it as a joke, claiming that a meme shouldn’t be the word of the year, while others said it showed just how popular the phrase became. But how, and why? Let’s find out whether this meme really deserved word of the year.
What exactly is “6-7”?
Before we get into the timeline, it’d be useful to know what 6-7 actually is. The meme is pronounced as “six-seven” instead of the full “sixty-seven.” It doesn’t actually have a meaning in the way that most English words do, and it’s simply something that young people say whenever they feel like it.
They’ll also do a gesture while saying it, which involves putting your hands in front and bouncing them. The movement played a big role in how recognizable it became, as the weird motion pushed a lot of people to look the meme up.
Skrilla’s “Doot Doot (6 7)” to everyday speech
So where did the phrase begin? It came from the drill song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla. The song circulated online in late 2024 before being officially released in early 2025. The song says the phrase “6-7 twice.” This is what many listeners latched onto.
It’s not entirely clear what “6-7” actually means. Some people speculate it might be a reference to 67th Street in Philadelphia, while others have said it might be connected to the “10-67” police code. This is the code the police use when they’re reporting a death. However, Skrilla himself hasn’t clarified what he meant by it. It’s this vagueness that helped the meme go viral.
How TikTok, LaMelo Ball & the “67 kid” pushed it viral
Once the track had some momentum, it didn’t take long for short-form video to make it viral. People started putting the “6-7″ audio over highlight reels of basketball player LaMelo Ball. Why? Because he’s 6’7” tall. Soon enough, people started using the audio for other basketball players, even those of a different height.
The trend then picked up a new face, a teenager named Maverick Trevillian. He yelled “six-seven” at the camera during a sports game, while doing a motion that became the 6-7 gesture. This moment turned him into “the 67 kid.” Young people then started yelling the phrase whenever they saw a six or a seven in school.
It had officially crossed over from social media to real life.
Why Dictionary.com picked “6-7” for 2025
At the end of October, Dictionary.com revealed its Word of the Year. They named “6-7” as 2025’s entry. But why? According to their editors, searches for “6-7” on their website jumped more than six times over their early-year baseline. Staff members also noticed how often the phrase appeared across social media.
Of course, 6-7 wasn’t the only phrase that Dictionary.com had considered for the list. Words like “tariff” and “overtourism” were also on the list, due to current political issues. They also considered “trad wife” after the term went viral, but none of these words had the same search volume or cultural footprint as 6-7.
In fact, Dictionary.com mentioned that this was the first time a number-based meme had made it into their Word of the Year title. They said it was part of a group of slang words that had spread through repetition and inside jokes.
What linguists & researchers say about “6-7” as a word
Several university linguists shared their thoughts on the decision. Kristen Syrett at Rutgers explained in a Q&A that “6-7” fits into a category of expressions. These expressions function more as social signals than messages with clear information. Syrett also pointed out that the matching gesture fits with other gesture-based slang that mixes sound with movement.
At Georgetown, Cynthia Gordon said that kids use the meme to show they’re part of the group. They’re not trying to communicate a clear idea. This isn’t the first time that researchers have seen expressions that start as nonsense but later spread to show group identity.
Did “6-7” really deserve word of the year status?
As you might expect, reactions in the press were quite mixed. Some people felt confused and irritated that a phrase with no clear meaning made it to the top of the list. They argued that Dictionary.com should’ve chosen more traditional words, or at least something more serious.
However, others claimed that the measurable side of how many people searched for the word on the internet made it a clear choice. “6-7” also received a lot of coverage on TV and social media. Once you put these all together, it’s clear that 6-7 might be the most popular word of the year.
But whether that makes the word “deserving” of the title is something only each reader can decide for themselves.