'67' listed as 2025 word of the year after Gen Alpha meme takes over the internet
The 2025 word of the year has been revealed and I have the misfortune of revealing it to you.
It's not a word that holds much bearing, or one that resonates with the majority of humanity, unfortunately - but it does mean something to a certain generation.
You've probably come across the term '67' on one of your many doom scrolls, but its meaning has eluded many (usually elder) social media users.
We used to have Vine references and funny animal reaction GIFs back in the day, but the tables have well and truly been turned as a lot of us are likely left frowning at our screens when we see any examples of the 'brain-rot' phenomenon that's sweeping the internet.
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It's all down to Gen Alpha as well, who can take credit - if you can call it that - for making '67' the word of the year for Dictionary.com.
Where does '67' come from?
In case you haven't heard of the term, it goes hand in hand with the likes of 'skibidi toilet' and 'mogging', but it's fair to say that '67' stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Often accompanied with the movement of both hands up and down with palms facing up, the term went viral following a clip of an amateur basketball game, where a kid can be seen repeatedly shouting '6-7' while moving his hands.
It's believed that the term originated from rapper Skrilla as part of the lyrics in 'Doot Doot (6 7)', where he says: "6-7, I just bipped right on the highway." Others think it has to do with official police codes and '10-67' meaning there's a dead body.
What does '67' actually mean?
But as for its definition, it's said on the website that the term '67' is pronounced 'six-seven' and not 'sixty-seven' and that it has a a 'vast lore', noting that it may have been traced back to Skrilla's song or its like to NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
They noted that the word of the year is a 'linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year', saying that the real definition is unclear, with some even believing it could mean 'so-so', 'maybe this' or 'maybe that', say the dictionary, who coin the term as brainrot slang.
This was defined as 'purposefully nonsensical and all about being in on the absurdity', with Steve Johnson, Ph.D., director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning, stating in a press release: "It's part inside joke, part social signal and part performance."
Johnson went on: "When people say it, they're not just repeating a meme; they're shouting a feeling.
"It's one of the first Words of the Year that works as an interjection - a burst of energy that spreads and connects people long before anyone agrees on what it actually means."
According to the site, '67' appeared in digital media six times as much in October as it did all through 2024.
Some other finalists for word of the year include 'agnetic', 'aura farming', 'Gen Z stare', 'overtourism', 'tariff' and 'tradwife' - don't worry, we're a bit lost too.
Topics: Social Media, Viral, Weird, Education
Joshua Nair