Journalism of Courage
A new phrase “6-7” is echoing through school corridors and classrooms across the United States. The nonsense expression, pronounced “six-seveeeen,” has become the latest inside joke among children, showing up everywhere from TikTok videos to schoolyards.
The phrase has no clear meaning. Students shout it when a teacher mentions the numbers six or seven, or even for no reason at all. “It’s like a plague a virus that has taken over these kids’ minds,” said Gabe Dannenbring, a seventh-grade science teacher in South Dakota. “You can’t say any version of six or seven without at least 15 kids yelling, ‘6-7!’”
Linguist Taylor Jones told CNN that 6-7 is “a joke without a punchline.” It does not mean anything but helps children feel part of a group. “Do you have a little bit of whimsy? Or are you a party pooper?” Jones said, explaining that the meme’s meaninglessness is what makes it fun.
The term appears in the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla, which went viral in late 2024. Jones said the number likely refers to the police code “10-67,” often used to report a death.
Around the same time, basketball player Taylen Kinney used the phrase in a viral TikTok video while rating a Starbucks drink. His playful gesture as if weighing two options in his palms became part of the meme. Soon, sports highlight reels and social media creators began using the sound, spreading it further.
A video of a young boy shouting “6-7!” at a basketball game then turned him into the unofficial face of the meme. Online, he became known as “Mason 67,” another inside joke.
Experts say shouting “6-7” is more than just noise. It’s a way for kids to feel connected. “Language is a way for people to form community,” said Gail Fairhurst, a professor at the University of Cincinnati. “Even if it’s a nonsense term, if they seem to know what it means, that can be a unifying force.”
Jones told CNN that 6-7 acts like a secret password something that separates those who “get it” from those who don’t. “It’s a shibboleth,” he said, referring to a phrase that marks belonging.
Some teachers have banned the phrase after hearing it dozens of times a day. “My record is 75,” said Dannenbring. Others are using humour to deal with it.
A choir teacher in Michigan turned the meme into a classroom song, mixing it with other Gen Alpha slang like “slay” and “rizz.” Dannenbring said that playing along often helps: “If you acknowledge it, then it gets over with in about 15 seconds.”
Linguist Jones added that once teachers and adults start using the phrase, it will lose its charm. “The easiest way to kill it is for teachers to say that it’s cool,” he said.
Experts told CNN that there’s little reason to worry. “This is not anywhere near being a new phenomenon,” Jones said. Each generation invents its own slang, and 6-7 is simply the latest example.
Fairhurst said that while the phrase may sound pointless, it reflects how young people play with language. “We’re just using language to use language,” she said.
The meme might already be fading. Dannenbring said some students have started rolling their eyes at it, while others are experimenting with new phrases like “41.”
For teachers, though, 6-7 is still part of daily life. As Dannenbring put it, “We’ve had worse. This one is easy to live with.”
