--- title: 'Hanukkah' or 'Chanukah'? What Is the Correct Spelling? description: We spell it out for you canonical: https://time.com/3636698/right-spelling-hanukkah-chanukah-hannukah/ author: Tim Newcomb article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2011-12-21T21:08:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:15:24.179Z og:title: Is There a Right Way to Spell Hanukkah? Chanukah? Hannukah? og:description: We spell it out for you og:url: https://time.com/3636698/right-spelling-hanukkah-chanukah-hannukah/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab7687edd9779c45/69876f3c35ba6f4410c06045/hanukkah1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A Ultra-Orthodox Jew lights candles for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in the Jewish quarter of the old city in Jerusalem og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is There a Right Way to Spell Hanukkah? Chanukah? Hannukah? twitter:description: We spell it out for you twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltab7687edd9779c45/69876f3c35ba6f4410c06045/hanukkah1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is There a Right Way to Spell _Hanukkah_? _Chanukah_? _Hannukah_? by [Tim Newcomb](https://time.com/author/tim-newcomb/) ## Tim Newcomb Dec 21, 2011 9:08 PM UTC  Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Jewish holidays and is celebrated by Jews worldwide. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Jewish holidays and is celebrated by Jews worldwide.Nir Elias—Reuters by [Tim Newcomb](https://time.com/author/tim-newcomb/) ## Tim Newcomb Dec 21, 2011 9:08 PM UTC Hanukah is starting soon. Or is it Chanukah? Or Hannukah? Sometimes getting the proper spelling of a Hebrew word transliterated into English gets tricky, especially when far more than a trio of options prove technically correct. But if you don’t fall into the Hebrew-scholar category, what should you do? With so many ways to correctly get the point of Hanukkah across, the proper spelling really turns into a matter of preference and mass appeal. If you want to fit in with the crowd, opt for the _Hanukkah_ spelling, now the most widely used of the choices. (**MORE:** [What We Know About the Truth Behind the Hanukkah Story](https://time.com/4136708/hanukkah-story-confusing/)) However, don’t forget _Chanukah_, the second most often used spelling and the favorite of traditionalists. Just how did _Hanukkah_‘s spelling become so popular and oust _Chanukah_ atop the list? You can blame it on the _ch_ sound being similar to the _H_ sound, making _Hanukkah_ a bit easier for English speakers to understand the pronunciation. As little as about five years ago, the top spelling choice on the Internet was _Chanukah_. But times are changing, even in the way the Jewish holiday of lights is celebrated and understood, and the _Hanukkah_ spelling has gone mainstream. So, if you like to slightly buck the trend and go old school, _Chanukah_ is your spelling. With both correct, and about 14 others technically correct too, rest assured that you’ve got a pretty good shot at getting the spelling right. Whether you’re in tune with the latest spelling trend will be an entirely different story. (**MORE:** [How Blue and White Became the Colors of Hanukkah](https://time.com/5458247/hanukkah-colors-blue-white/)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3636698/right-spelling-hanukkah-chanukah-hannukah/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3636698/right-spelling-hanukkah-chanukah-hannukah/"},"headline":"Is There a Right Way to Spell Hanukkah? Chanukah? 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