TL;DR: A short glossary of the Brazilian crossword: 22 terms specific to the genre in Portuguese, in alphabetical order. Each term in one or two sentences. Includes classic terms (filler, black square, keyword) and newer terms from Cruzadinha BLA (layer, Big Sunday, Special Edition, Daily Mini).
The crossword has its own vocabulary. Whoever plays for a while understands without thinking, whoever is starting sometimes meets a term and does not know what it means. This glossary covers the 22 most important ones in the Brazilian crossword in 2026.
In alphabetical order. Each one fits in one or two sentences.
Archive. The set of all crosswords available in the app. In a newspaper crossword it would be "previous editions". In Portuguese, it became "acervo".
Block. Another name for a black square. A dark block on the grid that separates words.
Layer. Each level of clue a word can have. Cruzadinha BLA uses up to three layers per word (direct definition, context, almost explicit).
Cell. Each small square in the grid where a letter fits. An 11×11 grid has 121 cells.
Black square (casa preta). A cell painted black (or another dark color) that separates words. It does not receive a letter. It defines the shape of the crossword.
Crossing. A point where two words share a letter. It is the mesh that makes the crossword possible.
Definition. The text that describes the word to be found. Synonymous with clue. In the traditional Brazilian crossword, it is prose instead of a cryptic hint.
Clue. Same as definition. More common in digital crosswords. In Cruzadinha BLA, "dica" (clue in Portuguese) became standard because it fits in layers.
Big Sunday (Domingão). The large 15×15 crossword, weekly, published every week in the app. Direct heritage of the big Sunday newspaper crossword.
Special Edition. A seasonal themed pack (World Cup, BLA Anniversary, Drummond, Carnival, Festa Junina). Each Special Edition completed becomes an editorial stamp in the collection.
Grid. The squared structure of the crossword, with white and black cells.
Horizontal (Across). A word placed in the grid from left to right. Together with vertical, it defines the direction of words.
Isolated. A word that crosses little with others on the grid. Harder because it depends more on the clue and less on the crossings.
Daily Mini (Mini do Dia). The 5×5 crossword of the day, in Cruzadinha BLA. A new one every morning. Three minutes to finish.
Keyword. In some themed crossword formats, the main word that defines the theme. Not universal, but it appears in Coquetel magazines.
Hint. Another name for a clue. In some Brazilian editorial traditions, "pista" indicates a cryptic-style clue, more American or British. In standard Brazilian Portuguese, "dica" and "pista" are usually interchangeable.
Puff. The visual effect in Cruzadinha BLA when you tap the clue to open the next layer. The old clue puffs and the new one comes in.
Filler (recheio). Smaller words that fill space between the big words. In themed crosswords, the theme lives in the big words; the filler is varied vocabulary.
Symmetry. A common property of well-designed crosswords: the black squares form a symmetrical pattern (around the center, or around a vertical axis). Not a hard rule, but tradition.
Theme. The topic that organizes a group of words in the crossword. Cruzadinha BLA has themes such as Culture, Trivia, History, Literature, Brazil, World, Wordplay.
Validator. The automatic script that checks every clue before it ships to the app. It rejects clues out of tone (over 80 characters, with em dashes, with informal "tu" in Portuguese, and other hard rules).
Vertical (Down). A word placed in the grid from top to bottom. Together with horizontal, defines the direction of words.
This glossary does not try to be exhaustive. It covers what appears in any current Brazilian crossword, plus a few terms specific to Cruzadinha BLA (layer, puff, Daily Mini, Big Sunday, Special Edition).
When a term you did not know appears here, the next crossword will make more sense. The vocabulary is part of the game.
I chose not to include American or British crossword terms that have no current use in Brazilian Portuguese. Cryptic crossword is a British tradition with its own cipher rules. Terms like "rebus" or "schrödinger" (American technical names for crossword tricks) did not enter. Regional verbal synonyms (like "passatempo" for crossword) did not enter either, because they are broad synonyms, not genre-specific terms.
Common questions. What is a black square in a crossword? A black square is the dark cell on the grid that separates words. It does not receive a letter. It defines the design of the crossword. Is filler the same as keyword? No. Filler are the smaller words that fill space between the big words. Keyword is the main word that defines the theme (when there is one). What is the difference between clue and hint? In modern Brazilian Portuguese, they are equivalent. "Dica" (clue) became more common in digital. "Pista" (hint) sometimes carries a cryptic connotation in the British style. In traditional Brazilian crossword, they are usually interchangeable. What is the Daily Mini in Cruzadinha BLA? The 5×5 daily crossword of the app. Every morning, a new one. Three minutes to finish, on average. Free for everyone, always.
Cruzadinha BLA is on the App Store, free. Download at https://apps.apple.com/app/cruzadinha-bla/id6769588425, or open the app page at https://bla.vc/apps/cruzadinha.
