A “Brainrot” Phrase that Blew Up Out of Nowhere

In 2025, the expression “6-7” went from a chronically online inside joke to a
global meme. But what exactly does the two-number combination actually
mean? What started as a small trend on social media (TikTok, Instagram
Reels grew into a universal comical message of confusion.

When the answer “maybe”, “about”, or “so-so” may be deemed appropriate in
conversation, those participating in the meme may jump to say “6-7!”
accompanied with shrugging hand gestures and a laugh.

Started With Everyday Life
“6-7” first spread rapidly through short videos where people would describe
their days as “a solid 6-7.” It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t amazing; it’s
mediocre. It was just about getting by, surviving the day, and laughing
about it.

A “Code” Used in 2025 for Stating Stress
Those who know this trend know that some use it as comedic relief to
post/talk about things in their lives that are genuinely stressing them out.
Younger generations have been known to do such a thing with past
phrases like “Mid” and “Brainrot”, where they create humorous words to
dance around/describe dark feelings/habits. Instead of saying “I’m
stressed” or “I’m fine.” For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, “6-7” grasped that icky
feeling/grey area. These phrases have genuinely become polite and
humorous conversation contributors and also ways to communicate
emotions without being overbearing/oversharing.

Meme Gone Mainstream
Major influencers and brands have stepped their feet in the “6-7” door,
whether it be online ordering food deals, or rap songs gone viral on TikTok,
“6-7” is literally everywhere, wrapping up 2025. With the phrase snuck into
newspapers, late-night shows, and even an entire South Park episode,
There’s no doubt why “6-7” was deemed 2025’s Word of the Year.

“6-7” In my Personal Life
Personally, I never understood the trend or how to use the phrase; however,
my significant other needs soap to remove this arguably annoying word
from his vocabulary. I asked him to explain it to me one night with his
roommate, and they both said the joke started out not even funny, which ended up
ultimately making it as humorous as it is now. I left that conversation still
not understanding the humor, but having more leniency for the creativity of
where they chose to sneak it into the conversation. (And sporadically raise
their hands up and down at their sides..?)

Why it Won “Word Of The Year”
When looking back on 2025’s linguistic trends, “6-7” obviously stood out as
ridiculous as it is, it is SO popular. With 2024’s word of the year being
“Brainrot” there’s no doubt we are moving more towards online trending
trending terms as a younger generation. With the phrase “6-7” being so
versatile and popular, it was easy for creators and brands to incorporate it
slyly into their messages, headlines, videos, conversations, internet
memes, and even therapy sessions. As silly as it may seem, these
new-gen phrases blowing up actually can be helpful for younger, less wise
people to communicate their mental health issues.

“6-7” brought together a widespread community online and in person. It
spread not only nationally but globally, and captured a universal mood,
created inside jokes and common humor, and united people who may not
have even glanced at one another before.