Respondents to Michigan College’s annual survey of overused and misused words and phrases say ” 6-7 “Cooked” and should come to a full stop as the new year approaches.
These are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual “Banned Words List,” which Lake Superior State University released Thursday. This satirical compendium of overused slang began in 1976 as an idea for a New Year’s Eve party, dubbed the Queen’s English List of Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.
About 1,400 applications came from all 50 states and a number of countries outside the United States, including Uzbekistan, Brazil and Japan, according to Lake Superior State.
Also in the top 10 were “sober,” “motivated,” “idealistic,” “gifted/talented,” “bad,” and “communicative.” The words “my bad” and “extend my hand” also appeared on the list decades ago, in 1998 and 1994, respectively.
“The list definitely represents the fashion trends and vernacular of the younger generation,” said David Travis, president of Lake Superior State University. “Social media provides a greater opportunity for words to be misunderstood or misused. We use terms that are shared through text messages, primarily, or through posting without body language or tone context. It is very easy to misunderstand these words.”
A few phrases in 2025 Parents, teachers and others over the age of 40 for example, more than “6-7”. Dictionary.com even chose it as their site 2025 word of the yearWhile she chose other dictionaries Words like “regression” And ” The taste of anger“.
But what does “6-7” actually mean? It exploded over the summer, especially among Gen Z, and is considered by many to be inconsequential in meaning — a social media-driven inside joke.
“Don’t worry, because we’re still trying to figure out exactly what it means,” the dictionary editors wrote.
Each number can be pronounced out loud as “six, seven.” It can even be combined into the number 67; in College basketball gamesSome fans explode when a team reaches that overall point.
Placing “6-7” at the top of the list of exiles puts him in good company. In 2019, Centuries-old Latin phrase “for something” It was the phrase most requested to be banned from common usage. In 2017, Fake news “He got the most votes.
Alana Bobbitt, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, makes no apologies for using “6-7.”
“I find joy in it,” Bobbitt said. “It’s a bit silly, and even though I don’t understand what it means, it’s fun to use.”
Galen Breazeal says a small group of his friends use the number “6-7” and that he shows up a few times each week. But he won’t say it
“Never,” said Brizel, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. “I don’t really get the joke.” “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
But he said his ban, even as a joke, might be a bit excessive, adding that he uses other words and phrases on the list.
“I’ve always used the word ‘cooked,'” Breazeal said. “I think it’s been very popular online over the last year. “She’s like, ‘Give it up, it’s over.'”
Some phrases have a long lifespan, Travis said.
“I don’t think they’ll ever go away, like ‘at the end of the day,'” he said. “I used the word ‘my bad’ today. I feel comfortable using it. I started using it when I was young. A lot of us old people still use it.”
While some of the terms on the list “will stick around forever,” others will be fleeting, Travis said.
“I think we’ll be 6-7 next year,” he said.