The Top Word for 2025 Means… Absolutely Nothing

If you’ve spent time around middle schoolers this year, you may have heard a strange new phrase tossed around: “Six Seven.” Or maybe you’ve even seen the matching hand motion—arms out, palms up, gently bobbing like scales in a balance.

And if you asked what it meant, you probably didn’t get much of an answer.

That’s because “Six Seven” (or just “67”) doesn’t mean anything at all—and that’s exactly the point.

In 2025, 67 became one of the most mysterious and viral pieces of slang among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Despite having no definition, the phrase exploded in popularity—so much so that Dictionary.com named it the official Word of the Year. Not because of its meaning, but because of the sheer volume of searches adults made trying to figure it out.

So what are kids actually saying when they say “67”? Nothing. Literally. And that’s the joke.

“Adults can’t understand it because it doesn’t have a meaning,” said Dictionary.com in its annual announcement. “And that confusion is what drives the trend.”

The accompanying hand motion—palms up, moving slightly up and down—only adds to the sense of playful nonsense. It mimics someone “weighing options,” though in this case, the only thing being weighed is how bewildered the nearest adult looks.

It’s not the first time meaningless slang has taken off among younger generations. “Cheugy” and “skibidi” are recent examples of Gen Z’s evolving inside jokes. But 67 takes it to the next level by completely abandoning meaning altogether.

And it’s not over yet. Just as adults are beginning to catch on, a new number is gaining ground: “41”—pronounced forty-one, not four one (“Don’t be so 67,” the kids might say). Like its predecessor, 41 also means nothing, and that might be the whole appeal.

As parents and teachers try to decode what’s going on, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are in on a shared moment of harmless generational confusion—and loving every second of it.

So next time you hear “67” tossed into a conversation, or see a few kids giggling while throwing their hands up in the air, remember: You’re not supposed to understand. And that’s the whole point.