A strange new term, “6,7,” is leaving Gen Z and Millennials scratching their heads, and some teachers are even banning it in their classrooms.
The phrase, which is becoming increasingly common among Generation Alpha—those born between 2013 and 2024—has taken schools, family homes, and social media by storm, causing widespread confusion among older generations.
The phrase “6,7” has been used in various contexts, adding to the bewilderment of parents and educators.
What does 6,7” mean?
The viral term has multiple meanings depending on who’s using it. Most commonly, it’s understood to mean “nothing.”
However, some people use it to express indifference or to suggest that a person is “average” or unremarkable.
So, where did this puzzling expression come from? It originates from a song titled Doot Doot (6,7) by American rapper Skrilla.
The Athletic explains the meaning: "6-7 means … nothing. For some, it's a way to express indifference, or whatever makes sense to the user."
How the phrase went viral
The phrase gained popularity on social media, where videos featuring basketball players, including LaMelo Ball, went viral.
The trend escalated when athlete Taylen Kinney, 17, was asked to rank his Starbucks order. Instead of offering a conventional answer, he scrunched his face and simply said “6,7,” likely referencing the meme.
In one viral TikTok video, Maya, 20, shared a humorous moment where her Gen Alpha cousins called her a “grandma” for not understanding the meaning of “6,7.”
Maya’s clip captured the generational divide perfectly, showing how the phrase is quickly becoming an essential part of everyday lingo for younger people.
Basketball players have even started incorporating the phrase into their interviews and social media posts to engage their audiences.
The expression has not only gained momentum online but has now infiltrated classrooms, with some teachers finding it disruptive enough to ban it entirely.
One middle school teacher vented on Reddit, saying, “I’m an 8th-grade teacher, and I am so done hearing it that I just banned it from my classroom.
"You can't say the two numbers in a row without the class bursting out in a chorus of ‘6-7.’ It was funny at first, but now it's just old and continually interrupts many class conversations.”
Even Mr. R, a Gen Z PE teacher and content creator, noted the impact the term had on his class. “I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty sure my students pay more attention to when the numbers six and seven come up than they do in my PE lessons,” he said.
He recalled an incident during a warm-up where the entire class began chanting “six, seven” as they counted to ten.
In a more creative twist, some educators, like @thesandylion on TikTok, have started using “6,7” to bring order to their classrooms. In a video, she shouts “SIX” and then gets her pupils to reply “SEVEN” before quieting down to listen.