Word of the year heard around the world

By Tanvi Gaikwad

Staff Writer

I bet you’ve heard 6-7 everywhere. In the hallways, in public, maybe even at home.

Well, that phrase has officially been announced as Dictionary.com’s 2025’s Word of the Year.

According to the website, “The Word of the Year isn’t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we’ve changed over the year.”

To determine this, the website reviewed several pieces of information online to determine what word would fit this criteria.

According to the website, “Searches for 67 experienced a dramatic rise beginning in the summer of 2025. Since June, those searches have increased more than sixfold, and so far, the surge shows no signs of stopping.”

But what does it even mean?

It actually has no true definition!

6-7 is a viral slang term popularized by Gen Alpha, and it is often accompanied with a hand gesture of weighing something.

People usually use it when there is a situation regarding numbers or if they see the numbers 6-7 somewhere.

For example, a teacher may ask,  “How much more time do you need?” and a student may reply with “Like 6 or 7 minutes!”

Now, you may be wondering where 6-7 came from. It came from the song “Doot Doot” by Philadelphian rapper Skrilla. It gained popularity with basketball edits, especially with NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is 6 '7 feet tall. It got even more popular when a video of a boy doing the hand movement yelling “6-7” came out.

No matter whether you love the word or annoyed by it, you can agree that it has had an impact on 2025.

What will be next year’s word?