Apple's App Store is quickly getting a reputation for bizarre rejections: famous examples include the Nine Inch Nails application and an eBook reader that allowed users to search for the Kama Sutra. (Both situations were later resolved.)

Today comes news of what might be the strangest App Store rejection yet: a dictionary was rejected twice because it contained swear words. The iPhone App for online dictionary Ninjawords was rejected, claims DaringFireball, for containing the words "sh*t" and "f**k" - you could only find those entries by searching for the exact words though, meaning it's no more likely to cause offence than the dictionaries available in bookstores. The app's developer explains:

We were rejected for objectionable content. They provided screenshots of the words ‘sh*t’ and ‘f**k’ showing up in our dictionary’s search results. What’s interesting is that we spent a good deal of time making it so that you must type vulgar words in their entirety, and only then will we show you suggestions in the search results. For instance, if you type ‘fuc’, you will not see ‘f**k’ as a suggestion. This is in contrast to all other dictionaries we’re aware of on the App Store (including Dictionary.com’s application), which will show you ‘f**k’ in the search results for ‘fuc’, ‘motherf**ker’ for ‘mother’, etc.

After app developer Matchstick Software added filters to remove these words, Apple rejected it a second time for containing the word "c*nt". Ninjawords is now in the App Store [iTunes link], but carries a 17+ rating despite the fact that its swear words have been removed. Other dictionaries in the App Store do allow you to search for and find swear words, the developers point out.

The incident will further incense those who question the consistency of Apple's App Store rejection policies. Even the FCC is weighing into the controversy, with letters sent last week to Apple, AT&T and Google over the rejection of the Google Voice app.