Go ahead and roll your eyes. shrug. Or maybe just throw your hands in the air.
Dictionary.com’s word of the year isn’t a word at all. It’s a viral term “6-7” that kids and teens keep repeating and laughing at, but parents and teachers can’t understand.
The term – if you can call it that – suddenly became popular over the summer. It was more of an inside joke driven by social media with unclear meaning.
Dictionary.com says its annual selections are linguistic time capsules of social trends and events. But the site admits it’s also a little confused by “6-7.”
“Don’t worry, because we’re still trying to figure out what exactly it means,” the site said in an announcement this week.
How did “6-7” become like this?
It all seems to go back to rapper Skrilla’s 2024 song “Doot Doot (6-7).”
The song began appearing on TikTok videos of basketball players, including 6-foot-7 NBA player LaMelo Ball.
Then, a boy (now known as “The 6-7 Kid”) shouted the ubiquitous phrase while another kid next to him juggled with his hands in a video that went viral this year.
that’s all.
So what does “6-7” mean?
The real answer is that no one knows.
Sometimes it depends on who is on the receiving end of the “6-7.”
Even how to write “6-7” is controversial – is it “6 7” or “6 7”?
According to Dictionary.com, when combined with juggling gestures, the phrase can mean “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that.”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary calls it “a meaningless expression used especially by teenagers.”
Some people just use it to frustrate adults when asked.
“It makes no sense, is ubiquitous, and makes no sense. In other words, it has all the hallmarks of brain rot,” says Dictionary.com. “Nevertheless, it still has meaning to the people who use it because it promotes connection.”
How did the rest of the world react?
Parents and teachers have created their own videos trying to explain the feeling.
Some people offer advice on how to stop your child from repeating this behavior throughout the day. Others suggest embracing it — or even making a “6-7” Halloween costume — so that it doesn’t become uncool.
Teachers have banned it. Influential people and child psychologists try to understand this.
It’s even spread to the NFL as a way to celebrate big games.
Why is it the word of the year?
Dictionary.com says it looks for words that influence how we talk to each other and communicate online.
The site carefully studied search engines, headlines and social media trends when making its selections. Online searches for “6-7” rose sharply this summer and haven’t slowed down, growing sixfold since June, the report said.
“The Word of the Year is about more than popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we change over the course of the year,” the website says.