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Dictionary.com's 2025 Word of the Year has been everywhere over the past year.
On Wednesday (October 29), the online dictionary revealed its choice for the Word of the Year, the word that captures "pivotal moments in language and culture" and is "a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year," according to Dictionary.com.
So what word was so ubiquitous in 2025 that it earned the title?
67
If you're unfamiliar with the word or are confused because it looks more like a number than something deserving of Word of the Year, you are not alone. Pronounced six-seven, the slang has vexed many outside of Gen Alpha who seemingly proliferated the term, in large part because, unlike last year's winner, it appears to have no true meaning.
Thought to have originated in Skrilla's 2024 song "Doot Doot (6 7)," the dictionary said 67 can be interpreted as a way to say "so-so" or "maybe this, maybe that" but otherwise "has all the hallmarks of brainrot" slang — meaningless and nonsensical.
To determine its Word of the Year, Dictionary.com analyzed data from headlines, social media trends, search engine results and more to find the words that had an impact both online and in real life.
"Searches for 67 experienced a dramatic rise beginning in the summer of 2025," the site states. "Since June, those searches have increased more than sixfold, and so far the surge shows no signs of stopping. Most two-digit numbers had no meaningful trend over that period, implying that there is something special about 67."
Other contenders for 2025's Word of the Year include aura farming, broligarchy, clanker, Gen Z stare, tariff, tradwife and more.