Ask the Rabbi
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Channukah
Question
hanukkah or chanukah? how to spell?
Answer
ב"ה
Shalom
חנוכה is not an English word, therefore people spell it phonetically. Since there is no sound like the Hebrew letter ח in the English language, proper English spelling should leave Hanukka with the letter H.
However, it has become somewhat accepted among Jews that people use the letters CH in place of the Hebrew ח and therefore some people spell it as Chanuka. So the coice of how to spell it is yours.
All the best

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