Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year is viral (and baffling) Gen Alpha slang ‘6-7’

Culture • Nov 4, 2025, 10:08 AM

9 min de lecture

Roll your eyes all you want, but at this point, you should probably just embrace it and juggle your hands in the air... because Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year is the viral term “6-7” - also spelled “67”, “Six-seven” and usually blurted out as “six SEVEN!”

Unless you’re part of Generation Alpha, a younger member of Gen-Z or just perpetually online, the random shouting out of these two numbers probably doesn’t make any sense to you... And nor should it.

There’s no sense to be found in this trend – as we explained in our breakdown of the TikTok slang. It’s not really even a word, but its use has grown over the summer and it has become a widespead cultural phenomenon on social media.

@youtubeshortsjustforyou THE “6–7” MEME KID THAT STARTED IT ALL 😭🏀 #67Kid #Basketball #67 . . The internet has seen thousands of memes… but few have had the staying power and absurdity of the “6–7” basketball kid. Today, we’re throwing it all the way back with the original video that gave birth to the legendary meme that took over TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and now YouTube Shorts. This moment — a kid at a basketball game, being asked for his height and saying “6’7” with complete deadpan seriousness — became one of the most iconic, aura-rich moments in modern meme history. From Aura Farming lore to NPC compilations, this clip is the Rosetta Stone of meme energy. The delivery, the look, the vibes — everything about this moment feels like it was blessed by the meme gods. It spawned countless remixes, voiceovers, parodies, and compilations of fake flexes, unearned confidence, and peak rizzless aura. It’s been referenced in basketball edits, TikTok stitches, and even branded content. We’re talking about a core memory of the Meme Multiverse. This is where the “he’s not 6’7” but he believes he is energy began. It’s the intersection of NPC behavior, rizz delusion, and high school gymnasium chaos — a true cultural artifact. If you're new here, welcome to the Auraverse. If you're an OG, you already know this is part of the generational meme debt that reshaped internet humor. This is more than a clip — it's a timestamp in meme evolution, forever etched in the algorithm. Drop a like, comment if you remember this going viral, and subscribe for more Internet Lore Originals, Aura Farming Rankings, and Top 7 Aura Fail Moments. We’re just getting started. --- 🏷️ COPY-PASTE HASHTAGS (Comma-Separated) #67Kid, #6Foot7 ♬ original sound - YouTube Shorts For You

Even Dictionary.com admitted it is a bit confused by “6-7.”

“Don’t worry, because we’re all still trying to figure out exactly what it means,” the site said. “It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical. In other words, it has all the hallmarks of brainrot. Still, it remains meaningful to the people who use it because of the connection it fosters.”

Put simply, 6-7 is a nonsensical expression that is meaningless by design and depending on which pint-sized ragamuffin you ask about it, "6-7" could be a nod to height (6’7’’), a funny playground password, a term meaning ‘so-so’ or ‘mid’, or just a term used to frustrate adults who are slowly losing the will to live.

But fear not: the more older generations start embracing it, 6-7 will become “cringe” (or “cringebag”, as more erudite teens are calling it) and will fade away into nothingness like previous fleeting trends.

Remember when a lot of things were “demure” last year?

Point made.

Six-seven had strong competition from other words that were shortlisted for word of the year. The shortlist included:

Agentic: (of AI) capable of acting autonomously and independently to accomplish a goal, decision or task; the blurring boundary between human and machine initiative.
Aura farming: the intentional cultivation of one's charisma, presence or vibe, often for attention or social media clout.
Broligarchy: a blend of bro and oligarchy; the concentration of power among a small and culturally homogenous elite.
Clanker: a mocking label for artificial intelligence, AI systems, chatbots, and other nonhuman technologies.
Gen Z stare: a blank, disengaged facial expression associated with Gen Z.
Kiss Cam: a staple of sports arenas and concert venues, it went viral this year when two executives from data company Astronomer were spotted on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert.
Overtourism: too many tourists causing a place to suffer negative environmental and sociocultural impacts.
Tariff: the system of duties or customs imposed by a government on imports or exports, brought to headlines everywhere because of Trump's antics.
Tradwife: a married woman who adheres to traditional female gender roles, often associated with conservative or alt-right political values.