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Lisa Lim

Mulling over this week’s column, I polled my multigenerational family in our group chat, which includes three Gen Zs, asking if I should write about the 6-7 meme. The options I gave were:

Slay! So skibidi!


On a scale of one to 10, that’s a 6-7 …


Bruh! Old news!

In the lifespan of TikTok, this is rather ancient news. Tweens and teens – not only those in the US, but also in Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and anywhere youths access social media – have been chorusing “SIX SE-ven” maybe 6 or 7 zillion times in the past year.
You, dear non-Gen-Alpha reader, may, however, have only heard about it 6 or 7 days ago – when “67” (also written “6-7”, “6, 7”, “6 7”, and pronounced “six seven”) was declared 2025’s word of the year by Dictionary.com.
What’s so special about this sequence of once innocuous numbers?
The meme’s roots trace back to Philadelphia rapper Skrilla’s 2024 song “Doot Doot (6 7)”. There, his repeated incantation of “six seven” has been suggested to be a reference to 67th Street in Chicago, with a reputation for being dangerous, or to the 10-67 police code, often used to report a death.


The phrase was heard in a December 2024 video of Kentucky five-star basketball recruit, Taylen Kinney, where he ranked his drink, using hand gestures, weighing the rating “six, six, seven”.
“6-7” was also swiftly picked up by other content creators, using the song especially with basketball sports edits, with particular reference to the National Basketball Association’s LaMelo Ball, said to move like he is 6’2” (188cm) but is actually 6’7”. The 67 Kid video in March 2025 was also a key moment in the trend’s spread.
In no time, social media and classrooms were resounding with “6-7”. Some schools banned its use for being deemed too distracting; some teachers tactically embraced it, hoping to neutralise its use.
One explanation is that it means “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that”, especially when paired with the hand gesture of both palms facing up and moving up and down alternately as if weighing up options. Many kids use it as a reply to any question – “What homework do you have to do today?” “6-7!” – or try to pose questions to prompt such a reference.
Older generations exclaim exasperatedly that the phrase is nonsensical, meaningless – yet another example of Gen Alpha brain rot.

But “6-7” does hold meaning.
For language observers, the phenomenon is interesting on several dimensions. It reminds us about the speed at which new words and ideas can spread around the world, virtual and physical. It highlights creativity in language use: with numerals being so ubiquitous – heights, addresses, page numbers, maths solutions – many occasions present themselves as easy, fun challenges for planting the 6-7 sequence in any conversation.
Significantly, it illustrates how language use is not only transactional for the exchange of information, but is also genuinely important for our social lives, building identities and relationships. Using “6-7” – as with all slang across the ages – displays understanding of an inside joke, signalling one’s membership in a cultural in-group. In so doing, it builds solidarity and creates community – in this case, among young people, to set themselves apart and express independence from older generations.
What’s additionally exciting – for those who focus on multicultural contexts – is how such phrases can take off in other creative ways due to multilingual repertoires. For example, the “APT” hit song by Rosé and Bruno Mars received fun trolling by Malaysian and Indonesian content creators for sounding like Malay apa tu?, meaning “what’s that?”.
This time around, Chinese content creators have reminded us how the phrase “6-7” in Cantonese closely resembles another term that is widely used as a derogatory vulgarity.
“6-7” may be an anglophone word of the year, but Cantonese had its number all this while!


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Gen Alpha slang ‘6-7’ takes over the world, and it holds more meaning than you think

Dictionary.com’s word of the year “6-7” is a popular phrase among Gen Alpha. Photo: AP 

US rapper Skrilla is credited with the origin of the Gen Alpha phrase “6-7”. Photo: TNS

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Apl at Esmeris Farm. Photo: Kylie Knott

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(From left) Beyond members Yip Sai-wing, Wong Ka-keung, Paul Wong and Wong Ka-kui in a still from Because of You – Ka Kui.

Wong in a still from Because of You – Ka Kui.

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Wong (right, back row) and Yip Sai-wing (left, back row) in a still from Because of You – Ka Kui.

A still from Because of You – Ka Kui.

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Lifestyle

Culture

The Gen Alpha phrase ‘6-7’ was named word of the year by Dictionary.com. We look at its origins and how people use it to create community


The Gen Alpha phrase ‘6-7’ was named word of the year by Dictionary.com. We look at its origins and how people use it to create community.


Cantonese culture, slang and customs

Language Matters

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Gen Alpha slang ‘6-7’ takes over the world, and it holds more meaning than you think

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Gen Alpha phrase ‘6-7’ was named word of the year by Dictionary.com. We look at its origins and how people use it to create community

The Gen Alpha phrase ‘6-7’ was named word of the year by Dictionary.com. We look at its origins and how people use it to create community