‘6-7’ has officially been crowned Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year — and reactions online have been… mixed.
The phrase has been popping up everywhere this year, from TikTok trends to Instagram memes, leaving most people baffled.
Despite the fact that people are clearly using the word, the exact meaning remains unclear.
Those who awarded the accolade state the word is meant to capture the cultural energy of 2025, even if it doesn’t have a traditional definition.
Howeever, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
“Since when is a number a word?” one person wrote on X.
Another added: “Lmao so we’ve officially run out of words?”
Even linguists are baffled.
What does ‘6-7’ actually mean?
So, what does this mysterious Word of the Year stand for?
According to Dictionary.com, ‘6-7’ is ‘meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical.’
Well, you don’t have to be an internationally renowned dictionary website to figure that out.
It’s part meme, part social signal, and part interjection.
Some teachers have banned the word from classrooms. Credit: Pexels
Sometimes it’s used as a shrug-like gesture (palms up, alternating), other times as a stand-in for ‘maybe,’ ‘so-so,’ or simply a punchline in absurd online humour.
Don’t worry if you don’t get it, that’s sort of the point.
On TikTok, people are divided.
One video comment reads: “That’s literally just numbers… and somehow it’s a word of the year?”
Another said: “Not me Googling 6-7 like it was gonna give me clarity. I’m more confused now.”
A third added: “English teachers are screaming.”
However, not everyone feels the same way – and some users are embracing the chaos.
One person joked: “Honestly, this is the most accurate word for 2025. Nothing makes sense anymore.”
Another wrote: “If Shakespeare were alive, he’d be posting ‘6-7’ on his Story.”
He did like to make the occasional word up, that’s certainly true.
Dictionary.com chose it not because it’s easy to define, but because of its cultural impact.
Searches for ‘6-7’ reportedly surged six-fold this year, proving just how viral the term has become.
Should that be ‘six, seven-fold’ actually?
Even if it makes you want to scream – 6, 7 is here to stay. Credit: Pexels
Why are people so divided?
Critics argue that crowning ‘6-7’ as Word of the Year undermines language and turns the dictionary into a meme machine.
Many say a Word of the Year should mean something, not just embody a trend.
But defenders say the choice actually reflects how we communicate now — with vibes, ambiguity, Internet in-jokes, and ‘you had to be there’ humor.
They believe language isn’t dying; it’s just evolving into something more chaotic, expressive, and reactive to online culture.
Whether you love it or can’t stand it, the debate shows one thing clearly: language is changing faster than ever, and the internet is steering the ship.
Like it or not, ‘6-7’ is officially part of 2025 speech — whatever it means.
