What "6-7" Could Mean for You

Source: Photo by Adrien Gambet from Pexels

It didn't take much more than 6-7 months for Dictionary.com to be clear on what its 2025 Word of the Year would be. During the first half of the year, the phrase "6-7" had already gone viral on social media, in classrooms, on basketball courts, and across a variety of other settings. Since then, you may have seen even more people yelling "6-7" and then laughing; pointing out when someone says "6-7" either accidentally or intentionally and then laughing; or just seeing "6-7" and laughing. What may not seem immediately clear, though, is what 6-7 even means. But if you think about it 6-7 times, this whole phenomenon actually may make a whole lot of sense.

The Definition of ‘6-7’

If you are looking for a clear official definition of “6-7” (or "six-seven"), you won't find it. Dictionary.com describes it as “a viral, ambiguous slang term” that is “largely nonsensical” with “murky and shifting usage.” It could potentially mean "so-so" or "maybe this, maybe that," particularly when combined with a "both palms face up and mov[ing] alternately up and down” gesture. The origins of the phrase have not been clearly established, although one thought is that it came from (or at least was spread more widely by) Skrilla's track, “Doot Doot (6 7),” which repeats “six-seven” over and over again.

Some Pass 6-7 Off as ‘Brain Rot’

You could try to dismiss this whole "6-7" thing as yet another example of “brain rot” slang. After all, 6-7 seems to be most popular among the Gen Alpha folks, the same young people who say things like "Skibidi" and are heavy consumers of all things online. The term brain rot has been used to describe the progressive deterioration of people's thinking and reasoning due to excessive consumption of social media and other online content. Being amused by, and then further propagating, something seemingly non-sensical could at first blush fit into such a description.

6-7 May Represent the Desire for Connection

But Steve Johnson, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning, has a different take: “It can be about wanting to have shared laughter and collective goals. It shows that even in the most polarized times...you can have something that’s just fun and frivolous and lighthearted, where you’re able to kind of connect to others and show belonging.” After all, think about how many times you've connected with others over stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't seem to matter a whole lot. It may be over what some celebrity said, some commercial jingle, an article of clothing, a line in a movie, a piece of fruitcake, whatever. When people talk about the same political viewpoint over and over again with those who share the same view, it may be more about connecting than the viewpoint itself.

It's not surprising that many people may be desiring mores ways to connect with others today, when the journey through life can easily feel like "Livin' in a lonely world," so to speak. Data have shown that loneliness and shortages of social connection have been growing since the 1980s. And you can no longer blame the COVID-19 pandemic for social disconnection, since it's been almost 6-7 years since the pandemic began in 2020 and a couple of years since it's ended.

6-7 Can Be a Band-Aid, but It's Not a Solution

That being said, you can say “6-7” until you are blue in the face and it's not going to be a substitute for real, deeper connection. Real connection comes from deeper sharing. And unless you've been divorced 6-7 times, just saying that number on its own shares nothing. Deeper sharing is about being open with your hopes, aspirations, fears, and vulnerabilities. It's about going through different experiences with each other, and helping each other—being there in times of need.

So, maybe do this: Choose 6-7 things that you want others to know about you. Share them and see how others react. At the same time, think of 6-7 things that you can do to help others. Then do them. See what you get back over time. Not in a transactional, I-gave-you-six-seven-things-and-expect-exactly-that-number-of-things-back way. But more in a have-you-achieved-deeper-connections-with-people type of way. You may not necessarily make 6-7 new friendships. You may not even get 6-7 thank yous. But if you make at least one new friendship or deepen one existing friendship, it will be worth it, 6-7 times over.