Go ahead and roll your eyes. Shrug your shoulders. Or maybe just juggle your hands in the air.
Dictionary.com's word of the year isn't even really a word. It's the viral term “6-7” that kids and teenagers can't stop repeating and laughing about and parents and teachers can't make any sense of.
The word — if you can call it that — exploded in popularity over the summer. It's more of an inside joke with an unclear meaning, driven by social media.
Dictionary.com says its annual selection is a linguistic time capsule reflecting social trends and events. But the site admitted it too 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 in its announcement this week.
It all seems to trace back to rapper Skrilla's song from 2024 called “Doot Doot (6-7).”
That song started appearing in TikTok videos with basketball players, including the NBA's LaMelo Ball who stands 6-foot-7.
Then a boy, now known as “The 6-7 Kid,” shouted the ubiquitous phrase while another kid next to him juggled his hands in a video that went viral this year.
That's all it took.
The real answer is no one knows.
And sometimes it depends on who's on the receiving end of “6-7.”
Even how to write “6-7” is up for debate — is it “6 7” or “six seven?”
According to Dictionary.com, the phrase could mean “so-so,” or “maybe this, maybe that” when combined with the juggling hands gesture.
Merriam-Webster calls it a “a nonsensical expression used especially by teens and tweens.”
Some simply use it to frustrate adults when being questioned.
“It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical. In other words, it has all the hallmarks of brainrot,” Dictionary.com said. “Still, it remains meaningful to the people who use it because of the connection it fosters.”
Parents and teachers have created their own videos trying to explain the sensation.
Some offer tips on how to stop their kids from repeating it all day long. Others suggest embracing it — even making “6-7” Halloween costumes — so it will become uncool.
Teachers have banned it. Influencers and child psychologists have tried to make sense of it.
It's even spilled over into the NFL as a way to celebrate big plays.
Dictionary.com says it looks for words that influence how we talk with each other and communicate online.
The site scoured search engines, headlines and social media trends in making its choice. Online searches for “6-7” took off dramatically over the summer, it said, and haven't slowed, growing by six times since June.
“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,” the site said.
This Dictionary.com page shows the newest word of the year "6-7" on a computer screen, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
This Dictionary.com page shows the newest word of the year "6-7" on a computer screen, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.
The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks.
Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade Hughes.
Only 26 and considered the best at 66a56f86195d55a854166f315319799fthe position behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, Hughes has one season left on his contract after this one before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz about Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke with the New Jersey Devils.
They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey's management team.
Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He was their captain since 2023, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet's departure rather than remain behind the bench there.
“With the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. "They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”
Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it's unclear if he would entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.
The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL, Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line, which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas Brodin, and winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” for eight more years."
It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Minnesota Wild's Liam Ohgren (28) and Jonas Brodin (25) celebrate a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during first period NHL action, in Edmonton on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, left, skates with the puck as Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes waits for play to begin in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
