What does 67 mean in a text?

Mostly nothing, on purpose. Dictionary.com calls 67 "largely nonsensical" and "intended to be nonsensical and playfully absurd." That's the joke.

Sometimes "so-so." Some people say it means "maybe this, maybe that," says Dictionary.com, especially with a hand gesture: both palms up, moving up and down in turn, like a scale.

A reply to anything. "How are you?" "67." "What's for dinner?" "67." Dictionary.com notes it's also said whenever the numbers 6 and 7 show up together, like in a math answer or a phone number.

A signal. Because the meaning keeps shifting, using it mostly shows you're in on the joke, Dictionary.com says.

Our slang dictionary entry for 6-7 covers the chant itself; this page is about how 67 shows up in your teen's texts, DMs and comments.

Dictionary.com says 67 is thought to come from the drill song "Doot Doot (6 7)" by the rapper Skrilla, which repeats "six-seven" as a hook. Clips on TikTok and Instagram paired the song with basketball footage as far back as October 2024. NBA player LaMelo Ball, who is 6 foot 7, got pulled into the lore. A viral video of a boy shouting "67" at a youth basketball game helped it spread further, and the wider sports world, from NBA and WNBA coverage to NFL touchdown celebrations, picked it up.

As a non-answer. Ask a real question, get "67." It's teasing, and it's meant to make you laugh or groan.

When the number appears. Page 67, room 67, a score of 67: teens point it out in the group chat.

In comments. "67" under a video, often on and on, is the comment-section version of the chant.

Typed three ways. 67, 6-7 and "six seven" all mean the same thing. Dictionary.com is clear it's never "sixty-seven."

Harmless. It isn't a code for anything, and there's no hidden meaning in the number. The only rude part can be timing: chanting it over someone who is talking, in class or at the dinner table, is still talking over someone.

Our read: if you look up the original song, listen to it yourself first. The meme itself is clean, but we haven't reviewed the song's lyrics, so don't assume the original is.

You don't need to decode it, because there's nothing to decode. Playing along works: "67" back, with the palms-up gesture, will probably earn you an eye roll and a laugh.

If you want a real answer to a real question, ask again with a smile: "Okay, and the actual answer?" If the chant is happening at bad times, at school or over a grandparent, the conversation is about manners, not the meme.

• 6-7 in the slang dictionary: the full slang entry for the chant.
• NPC: a gaming insult from the same group chats.
• IJBOL: "I just burst out laughing," spelled out.
• 💀 Skull: the "I'm dead" laugh that often follows a good 67.
• Teen texting decoded: every emoji and code on one page.
• The Lowkey slang dictionary: every word, not just the texts.