How to Spell Hanukkah

Guide Note:Ever started scrawling out a gift card and had to stop in your tracks when it came to spelling Hanukkah (a.k.a. Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanukka, Hanaka...)? You're not alone. Even many observant Jews don't seem to know how to transliterate חנוכה into English. With this convenient overview, you'll know as much as any expert about how to spell Hanukkah, and even be able to select from an arsenal of different spellings according to your mood.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: How to Spell Hanukkah

Thankfully, the Old English "Cristes Maesse" settled into "Christmas" over 500 years ago. On the other hand, most people end up in a spelling trainwreck when it comes to the Jewish Festival of Lights. The good news is, whether you spell it Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanukkah, Hanuka, or Channuka, you're probably right. Because of the linguistic differences between English and Hebrew, there is no "correct" spelling, though depending on your priorities and taste, some are more correct than others.

Scrabble players reach for the dictionary, but spelling חנוכה in English isn't so easy. (Creative commons photo by Alexandria Perone)

The original source of the confusion is the Hebrew spelling. In Hebrew, the Holiday in question is חנוכה, as read from right to left: Chet-Nun-Vav-Kaf-Hey. The word happens to contain three letters that, in this context, are difficult to transliterate into English.

The first letter in חנוכה is ח, or Chet, which gives you the throat-clearing sound Hebrew is famous for. In spellings such as "Hanukkah," the English letter "H" is used to represent ח, while "Chanukkah" captures the guttural effect of ח with a heartier-looking "CH."
Hebrew, unlike English, contains two "K" sounds. כ, or Kaf represents the standard English hard-"K," while another letter, ך (Khaf) connotes a thicker "KH" sound. In modern Hebrew, the Kaf in חנוכה, is pronounced like the English hard-"K" (כ), while the classical Hebrew pronunciation is closer to "KH" (ך). One theory holds that the double-"k" in spellings such as "Hanukkah" may be meant to signal the classical pronunciation, while another theory says exactly the opposite.
Finally, the ה, or Hey at the end of חנוכה represents a breathy "H" at the end of the word that is rarely pronounced in conversational English. The final "H" in the spellings Hanukkah and Chanukah suggests this ה, while "Hanukka" omits it.

When determining the proper spelling of a word, one criteria used by orthographers is popularity of use. The following ranking gauges popularity according to Google hits.

Other spellings: Channukkah, Hanukka, Hannukkah, Xanukkah, Hanouka (French) and Janukah (Spanish).

American Greetings couldn't decide how to spell it either. Photo by Mahalo

When in doubt, Scrabble players reach for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for proper spelling. Likewise, those endeavoring to spell חנוכה may wish to consult a variety of authorities. Determine which of the following organizations you find most trustworthy in this matter.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Hanukkah
Manischewitz (Jewish goods manufacturer): Chanukah
Hallmark Cards: Hanukkah
American Greetings: Chanukah and Hanukkah
Hebrew Union College website: Chanukkah
Jerusalem Post: Hanukka
Rabbinical Council of America: Chanukah
The Kabbalah Centre: Chanukah
The Forward (long running Jewish newspaper): Chanukah
Oxford English Dictionary: Hanukkah
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (lobbyist): Hanukkah
Tikkun (Jewish Magazine): Chanukah
Society for Humanistic Judaism: Hanukka
Judaism 101: Chanukkah
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism: Chanukah

Here are some of the possible benefits and shortcomings of the five most common spellings:
Hanukkah: most popular, but strips word of guttural effect.
Chanukah: appears authentic thanks to "CH," but perpetuates mispronunciation using the standard English "CH," as in "chipmunk."
Hanukah: near-phonetic spelling of the English pronunciation is easy to remember, but lack of spelling idiosyncrasies may cause speller to appear uncultured.
Hannukah: double-"N" looks better than double-"K" in English, but has no linguistic basis whatsoever.
Chanukkah: best represents the Hebrew spelling, but causes greatest amount of confusion.

You are now ready to spell חנוכה in English. Have fun. In fact, throw in a few extra "K"s or "N"s and a "Q" or two while you're at it. Just remember: you're only wrong if you think you're wrong.