TL;DR: The app today called Cruzadinha BLA was born as Palavrão BLA. The old name played with "big word", but in Brazil "palavrão" also means "swear word". The ambiguity confused Apple, the search algorithm and the reader. In May 2026 the app was renamed. The bundle stayed the same, the story stayed the same, but the name started to deliver what the app actually is.
On the App Store catalog, the name has to deliver the product in three words or fewer. "Palavrão BLA" did not deliver. Whoever read it could understand two opposite things: a big-word crossword app, or a swear-word app. The internal joke that made sense to the editorial team made no sense to anyone in the search.
On May 13, 2026, the app was renamed to Cruzadinha BLA (in English: Crossword BLA). The bundle in Xcode stayed as bla.vc.Cruzadinha (it was already in that format). Only the display name and the public copy changed. In one work session, the app became another thing while staying identical inside.
The original choice of "Palavrão" had editorial logic. In Portuguese, "palavrão" literally means "big word". A big crossword is a big word laid out in a grid. There was an echo of the word "cruzadão" too. It sounded playful, sounded direct.
But the more common reading of "palavrão" in Brazil is "swear word", a curse out loud. Whoever reads the app name on the App Store without context thinks of adult content, or of harsh language puzzles. The context that justified the name only existed inside the team. Outside of it, the meaning flipped.
Apple also reads the name. The internal App Store search algorithm, and the age rating classifier, both react to "palavrão" as a word of caution. An app rated 4+ called "Palavrão" creates unnecessary friction in approval.
Lessons noted for the next apps: a Brazilian app name has to work for a reader who has no internal context. A team joke does not travel. The first reading of the name is the one that counts. If the first reading of "Palavrão" is "swear word", it is "swear word". The name needs to cooperate with Apple's age classifier. Ambiguous terms pull the app into slower review. The name needs to work in Portuguese and in English at the same time. "Cruzadinha" turns into "Crossword" in English with a natural translation. "Palavrão" did not have a clean translation. Renaming is cheap when the product does not yet have thousands of installs. If you are in doubt, rename early.
Pull quote: The first reading of the name is the one that counts. Whoever has the internal context does not get a vote.
The new name delivers the product in one word: cruzadinha. In Brazilian Portuguese, "cruzadinha" is the direct and popular name for the puzzle, more used in daily speech than "palavra cruzada". In search, "cruzadinha" is the term with the most volume.
The BLA suffix marks the family, aligned with Sudoku BLA, Notas BLA, Lanterna BLA. Whoever sees Cruzadinha BLA on the App Store knows where it comes from before downloading.
The English translation became Crossword BLA, also direct, also popular in its language. The international version does not require contortions. A good name in Portuguese turns into a good name in English with a literal translation.
The editorial story did not change. The 92 puzzles at 11×11 in the archive are the same. The Big Sunday and the Daily Mini continue. The layered clue method continues. The validator continues. Ivan keeps reading every clue out loud before the app exports the JSON.
The only thing that changed was the name on the cover, and what appears as Display Name on the reader's iPhone.
Common questions. Why was the app called Palavrão BLA? "Palavrão" in Portuguese means "big word", and it was an editorial play. The big crossword was a big word laid out in the grid. It worked from inside, but did not work in the first reading of someone arriving from outside. When did the name change? On May 13, 2026. The bundle and the code stayed the same. Only the visible name changed. Did the English name change too? Yes. It became Crossword BLA, a direct translation of Cruzadinha BLA. What is the lesson for whoever is naming a new app? Test the first reading of the name with people outside the team. If the first reading points the wrong way, change the name while the product is still small. Renaming after a thousand installs is more expensive.
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.
