No Cap: Florida Ranks Low in Usage of Brain Rot Term “6-7”

If you live in fear of accidentally placing the numbers “6” and “7” together in a sentence, believe it or not, it could be much worse. A recent data analysis ranked Florida 48th in the nation for use of the popular brain-rot phrase. (Only New York and Massachusetts fare better than the Sunshine State.)

The study, conducted by iGaming site Wild Casino, searched X tweets from the last 90 days using hashtags like #67, #6-7, #67meme, and #67kid, and then mapped the results. Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia ranked highest in usage of the nonsensical phrase, and we truly fear for any families there who live between 6^th and 7^th streets, expect dinner to be ready around 6/7 p.m., or are asked to search for the height of NBA player LaMelo Ball.

If you’re asking yourself what “brain rot” and “6-7” mean, you probably live in a house without tweens or teenagers. Brain-rot words refer to Gen Alpha slang like “rizz” and “skibidi,” which have taken over classrooms, dining room tables, and mall food courts, much to the chagrin of educators and parents. Like the Great Cornholio of the ’90s, “6-7” doesn’t really mean anything, but it probably originated from the Philadelphia rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot” and was popularized by some kid screaming the number pairing at a basketball game.

Florida’s low ranking might come as a surprise to local tween teachers and parents, many of whom have appropriated the term in rebellion. One elementary school educator, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of tween retribution, told New Times, “Where it has been obnoxious and over the top is with my after-school kids. It’s almost nonstop some days. But all efforts to try and stop it have been futile, so I’ve just learned to live with it and at times join in, knowing this cannot last forever…at least I hope.”

Alana Oxfeld, who owns State of Kid, a local spot for enrichment classes and children’s clothing, embraced the trend for her school trunk-or-treat theme this year. “We were thinking of something original and clever, and decided to base our car on what we call the ‘Gen Alpha’ dictionary. We were kind of mocking and trolling the kids, but in a fun way — and they loved it. They were all screaming ‘6-7!’ back at us,” she says. 

T-shirts with the numbers “6” and “7” were also popular costumes for parents this year. Jessica Lurie and Terry Dowling of Miami Beach dressed as the number pair to trick-or-treat with their kids in Lakeview. “It embarrassed our daughter, which is always fun,” said Dowling. “Next year, we will be ‘6’ and ‘9,’” added Lurie.