Magic Number

Lock in, chat: Dictionary.com’s word of the year is 67.

The online dictionary announced its pick on October 28. Last year, the site chose demure, a word that means “reserved, shy, or modest.” That choice was made after a TikTok creator went viral with the phrase “very demure, very mindful.” This year, Dictionary.com chose another viral term: 67 (pronounced six-seven, not sixty-seven).

The term is popular with members of Generation Alpha, or Gen Alpha, the group of people born between 2010 and 2024. It originated from rapper Skrilla’s 2024 song “Doot Doot (6 7),” which went viral on social media.

What’s it mean? The Associated Press calls it “an inside joke with an unclear meaning.” Per Dictionary.com: “Some say it means ‘so-so,’ or ‘maybe this, maybe that.’” The online dictionary also notes that some users “will use it to stand in for a reply to just about any question.” (Question: “Hey, kid, how was school today?” Response: “67!”)

Several factors went into Dictionary.com’s choice, including search engine results. Online searches for “67” soared over the summer, the site said, and haven’t slowed. TFK readers say kids can’t stop repeating the term. “It can be funny or silly at first, but it gets annoying after a while,” one student wrote in an email to TFK. Another joked that the phrase is “driving teachers insane and making them rethink their entire life and why they chose to teach Gen Alpha.”

Amid the meme madness, one TFK reader wondered: “Will 67 ever be a normal number again?”