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Puzzled about the correct way to spell Hanukkah? You may have seen many variations of the word, and more than one of them may have been right. Read on to learn how to spell Hannukah.
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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.
Step 1: Assess Popularity
- 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.
- 12,700,000 for Hanukkah
- 2,440,000 for Chanukah
- 739,000 for Hanukah
- 631,000 for Hannukah
- 465,000 for Chanukkah
- 377,000 for Hanuka
- 359,000 for Chanuka
- 191,000 for Channukah
- 163,000 for Hanaka
- 119,000 for Chanukka
- Other spellings: Channukkah, Hanukka, Hannukkah, Xanukkah, Hanouka (French) and Janukah (Spanish).
Step 2: Advantages and Drawbacks
- 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.
Resources for How to Spell Hanukkah
- National Public Radio: Chanukah, or Hanukkah? (December 26, 2005)
- Wikipedia.org: Alternative Spellings Based on Transliterating Hebrew Letters
- Unbecoming Levity: How to Spell Hanukkah
- JoeMaller.com: How to Spell Hannukah, 2006 Edition
- JewFAQ.org: Hebrew Alphabet
- Phrases.org: Christmas Words and Phrases
- Wiki Answers What Does The Word Christmas Mean?
- YouTube: "How Do You Spell Channukkahh" by The Leevee's
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