Dictionary.com has officially revealed its newest Word of the Year.
The online dictionary announced Wednesday that “67” is the 2025 Word of the Year.
The annual pick serves as a “linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year,” according to Dictionary.com.
The term’s exact origin is a bit unclear. Teachers and parents began hearing kids and teenagers use the term over the course of this year, and some say it can be interpreted as another way of saying “so-so,” “maybe this” or “maybe that,” the dictionary states.
Dictionary.com further explained that the term is a result of classic brain rot slang, which is “purposefully nonsensical and all about being in on the absurdity.”
The term “67” — pronounced “six-seven” and never “sixty-seven,” the dictionary notes — has a vast lore. It can be traced back to Skrilla‘s 2024 song “Doot Doot (6 7),” while others have linked it to NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
“It’s part inside joke, part social signal and part performance,” Steve Johnson, director of lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning, said in a press release. “When people say it, they’re not just repeating a meme; they’re shouting a feeling.”
According to a Dictionary.com analysis, “67” appeared in digital media six times more frequently in October alone than it did throughout all of 2024.
“’67’ shows the speed at which a new word can rocket around the world as a rising generation enters the global conversation,” the dictionary stated.
Other terms that made the short list of finalists for this year’s Word of the Year included “agnetic,” “aura farming,” “Gen Z stare,” “overtourism,” “tariff” and “tradwife.”