How '6-7' became the nonsense phrase disrupting US schools
“It’s like a plague, a virus that has taken over these kids’ minds,” said Gabe Dannenbring, a seventh-grade science teacher in Sioux Falls
A new nonsense phrase is spreading rapidly in schools across the United States. Students are shouting "6-7", pronounced "six-seveeeeen", in classrooms for everything from opening a textbook to page 67 to lunchtime being six to seven minutes away.
According to a CNN report, the phrase has become the Gen Alpha nonsense trend of the moment. Kids use it to feel part of a group, even though it has no real meaning.
, South Dakota. "You can't say any iteration of the numbers 6 or 7 without having at least 15 kids yell, '6-7!'"
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Experts say the phrase is part of a trend called semantic bleaching, where words lose their original meaning. Using 6-7 is about fun and social belonging rather than actual communication.
"Do you have a little bit of whimsy? Or are you a party pooper?" said Taylor Jones, a linguist and social scientist.
The origins of 6-7 are not entirely clear. It may have started with the viral song "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla, where 6-7 might reference the 10-67 police code. Around the same time, high school basketball star Taylen Kinney created a hand gesture to go with the phrase in a video clip rating a Starbucks drink. Kinney shared the gesture on TikTok, where he has over 1 million followers, helping the phrase spread rapidly online.
The trend extended into sports highlight reels, including clips of Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, who stands at 6 feet 7 inches. A young fan at an amateur basketball game shouting 6-7 with a gesture became the online meme Mason 67, further increasing the phrase's popularity.
Most students using 6-7 do not even know its origins. "Nobody knows what it means. And that's kind of the funny thing about it," Dannenbring said.
Its meaninglessness has not stopped it from becoming a critical social tool. According to University of Cincinnati professor Gail Fairhurst, nonsense phrases like this allow children to signal membership in a peer group and feel included.
Teachers are responding in various ways. Some ban the phrase from classrooms, while others, like a Michigan middle school choir teacher, have incorporated it into songs to reduce disruption.
Dannenbring even uses the phrase incorrectly on purpose, saying, "That's so 6-7 of you," to manage his students. Experts note that acknowledging the trend briefly often stops it faster than ignoring it.
Despite causing frustration, 6-7 is harmless. Concerns about literacy or critical thinking being harmed are exaggerated and reflect normal youthful behaviour.
The phrase may already be waning, with new numbers like 41 emerging as potential replacements, but for now, 6-7 continues to dominate school halls.
In the end, 6-7 is a reminder of how language evolves with each generation. While it may baffle adults, it unites students, adds a sense of fun, and shows that even nonsense can have social meaning.
