Crossword Clue: Brazil's first colonial capital
Here's the answer to the Brazil's first colonial capital crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: SALVADOR
The answer to "Brazil's first colonial capital" is SALVADOR. Salvador runs 8 letters — 3 vowels and 5 consonants — opening with S and closing on R. In a grid it fills a 8-square slot whose letters are each shared with a crossing word, so the intersections do a lot of the heavy lifting when the clue itself is tough.
Origin & meaning
Salvador was Brazil's first capital, founded in 1549. It is a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, music, and cuisine. Its colorful Pelourinho district is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Common usage
You'll see SALVADOR in grids regularly — its 8-letter, 3 vowels shape is exactly what setters need to bridge trickier entries. When one intersecting letter is already in place, especially the S or R, SALVADOR tends to fall fast.
Crossword trivia
Short answers like SALVADOR are the connective tissue of a crossword. You'll meet SALVADOR again and again, and recognizing it instantly is one of the quiet skills that separates fast solvers from slow ones.
Stuck on this clue?
The fastest way past a stubborn clue like this one is the grid itself: pencil in the easy crossing answers first, and SALVADOR will often be the only word that fits the letters you already have.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue SALVADOR — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "Once the S was confirmed by the crossing word, SALVADOR was the only entry that fit."
- "A 8-letter slot and a clue like 'Brazil's first colonial capital'? That's SALVADOR nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed SALVADOR was right."