--- 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: 2026-10-01T08:45:22.101Z 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=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 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=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is There a Right Way to Spell _Hanukkah_? _Chanukah_? _Hannukah_? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=774617cb-3e5b-43f3-9d07-59726a010c6b&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Surprising Origins of 5 Hanukkah Traditions [Watch (HLS stream): The Surprising Origins of 5 Hanukkah Traditions](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HbnmsPif.m3u8) (2:53)  _Published 2017-12-12. Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem that had been defiled after the Maccabean Revolt, a biblical story that — while it has a few different versions — celebrates the miracle of triumph against overwhelming odds._ by [Tim Newcomb](https://time.com/author/tim-newcomb/) ## Tim Newcomb Dec 21, 2011 9:08 PM UTC Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem that had been defiled after the Maccabean Revolt, a biblical story that — while it has a few different versions — celebrates the miracle of triumph against overwhelming odds. 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/)) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:22] [ MUSIC ] [00:45] [ MUSIC ] [01:08] [ MUSIC ] [01:31] [ MUSIC ] [01:53] [ MUSIC ] [02:16] [ MUSIC ] [02:39] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [02:50] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ]. 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