Don’t say it in front of teenagers or anyone born around 2011. We are, of course, talking about the mystifying “six-seven” trend that’s making teenagers roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders, and fling their hands in the air. You don’t even have to say “seven”. “Six” is enough to excite nearby teens, who instantly straighten their hunched shoulders to go “six-sevennn”. All this has happened to such an extent that Dictionary.com has chosen it as the “word” of the year.

There are two culprits behind the trend: the Internet for spreading rapper Skrilla’s forgettable 2024 track Doot Doot (6 7), which contains the phrase “six seven” — a reference to his home turf on 67th Street in Philadelphia. No, it’s not Elton John’s Old ’67 from 2006.

Skrilla may have birthed the trend, but it took a few others to turn it into a full-blown meme. The 13-year-old Maverick Trevillain is an Internet sensation is known as The 67 Kid. He’s seen in an online clip lunging towards the camera with his bouncy hairdo, shouting “six seven”.

Helping the cause is basketball player Taylen Kinney, the No. 17 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. A couple of weeks after Skrilla dropped his track, Kinney was asked to rank his Starbucks drink. Lost in contemplation, he ended up answering “six, seven”, motioning up and down with his hands as if weighing two options. The social media team of Overtime Elite — the Atlanta-based basketball league he plays in — recorded the clip and promoted it on its channels. Whenever Kinney faced the camera, he worked “6-7” into the video. Within a month, an Internet phenomenon was born.

Just play along

If you’ve got time to kill, go ahead and try to decode the meaning behind “6-7”. Like it or not, there isn’t one. The two numbers are used randomly. The joke is only funnier when a grown-up tries — and fails — to make sense of it.

Maths teachers must be having a tough time. There are reports from the UK that some primary school teachers are trying to avoid any reference to six or seven. Others, too, are caught on the back foot when they ask pupils to move from page six to seven.

There’s also the flip side. Some principals have used the trend to connect with students, and teachers have even found themselves explaining what “6-7” means to parents.

What some adults may dismiss as a daft fad, children may cherish as a cultural milestone. Think about it — many of us still say the mindless “wassup” without remembering it originated in a 1999 Budweiser commercial. As children grow, groups become an essential part of their lives, and with them come in-jokes. “Six-seven” isn’t meant to be explained — you either get it or you don’t.

For some, it could be a way to show indifference — or whatever makes sense in the moment. Fifteen-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal, father of a 22-year-old, admitted he didn’t get it either. But that didn’t stop him from joining in, mimicking the joke in a video.

(L-R) Rapper Skrilla, basketball player Taylen Kinney and Internet sensation Maverick Trevillian have promoted the ‘6-7’ trend

The idea isn’t new — say something silly, make adults feel ancient, and repeat it until you grow out of it.

Memes are fleeting, so enjoy them while they’re fresh. Usually, by the time adults cotton on, the meme has already moved on.

And they’ll keep coming. A century ago, young Americans were shouting “23 skiddoo!” at each other — slang for being “forced to leave quickly by someone else”. The phrase even resurfaced in the Illuminatus! novels of 1975, where it meant a moment when a pattern or conspiracy reveals itself.

Perhaps “6-7” will make a comeback in 2075. It’s already destined to live on through pop culture. South Park recently did a “6-7” episode, and parents are using it to bond with their kids. There’s even a subreddit — r/Teachers — to “discuss” the trend. And before you say it, yes, we’re reporting on the meme.

Give it a month and teenagers will have moved on to something else. And the cycle, as always, will never stop.