Dictionary.com named “67” the word-of-the-year on October 28, 2025. Its rise to fame spiked near the beginning of the summer, leaving both adults and teens wondering what it means and if the two-digit number is even qualified to be named as the ‘word’-of-the-year. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
Not only is “67” a stupid word, but it also has a stupid history and little-to-no meaning. It became an internet sensation after a silly video on TikTok happened to go viral. There is no real meaning to the number, sparking heated debates about whether or not it is appropriate for the title of word-of-the-year.
This controversy has provoked numerous articles and discussions within even the most prestigious news agencies–so Paw Prints decided to join this trend. What does a teenage journalist think about this decision?
I think the term “67” should not be considered for word-of-the-year because the award has historically been given to words that represent how we, as a society, have changed over the past year. Some past words-of-the-year have had special meanings that represent our culture like allyship (2021) and pandemic (2020)—both words with an actual definition and a deeper meaning.
As I see it, a simple number does not properly represent the state of society in the status quo. “67” simply acts as a global inside joke. If anything, it shows how our societies’ minds have declined to the point where a two-digit number can be given a prestigious name alongside other words that have a deeper meaning and support real conflicts harming people in our world.
Even Dictionary.com itself has conceded that the term is “hard to define.” They make the argument that the selection of it marks how quickly a simple word can spread around the world to people of all ages. I agree that this reasoning is representative of the state of society this year, but I do believe that other words that raise awareness for real issues could have been selected.
We should have chosen “propagation,” which is used for defining the idea of spreading a doctrine or theory over time. Not only does it show how quickly ideas can spread around the globe, but it also contains a part of the word “propaganda”—a term that describes the deliberate spreading of misinformation—-which is prominent in our society due to the quick rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Finally, in my opinion, the slang term isn’t even a word. It is a simple and random two-digit number that rose to fame after a dumb video happened to go viral on TikTok. Historically, winners of the title of word-of-the-year have been real words and not simple numbers. Why should this change now? Have we become that immature?
“67” is both meaningless and irrelevant to the current status of society. It doesn’t match the trend of past words-of-the-year and fails to support groups of people that are in need of representation. It should not have been chosen as the word-of-the-year; the word chosen should have been one with real depth that raises awareness about current events and conflicts.