The Word of the Year Isn't Even a Word?

Send us Fan Mail Episode 84 explores Dictionary.com's controversial 2025 "Word of the Year"—the number —and the explosion of meme culture in everyday language. The hosts debate whether numerals can truly count as words, and dissect what it means for a dictionary to embrace viral Gen Alpha fads as legitimate lexicon. They unpack the origin of 67 as slang: from a rapper's lyric and TikTok trends, to schoolyards and sports memes, to its status as an in-joke that, paradoxically, includes everyone in the fun.Alongside plenty of real-life stories (including how a scout meeting devolved into a chorus of 6-7 jokes), the couple examines the language philosophy from "Findle," asking: is a word simply whatever enough people agree that it means? The show also touches on the psychology of belonging and why nonsense fads like 67 make it easy, for a brief moment, for anyone—kid or adult—to join an inside joke. They critique the dark origins of the number as a street reference but ultimately focus on its evolution into a lighthearted, inclusive meme.Runners-up for Word of the Year are discussed (including "agentic," "tradwife," and "kiss cam"). The episode closes by questioning what dictionaries are now and whether other viral moments will claim word-of-the-year status before December ends. As ever, listeners are invited to weigh in on whether this kind of linguistic chaos should be celebrated or scorned. Support the show---Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice. Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.