On a festive Friday edition of The Roggin Report, legendary broadcaster Fred Roggin tackled one of the holiday season's most enduring mysteries: why are there dozens of ways to spell Hanukkah, and which one is actually correct? Marking the sixth night of the Festival of Lights, Roggin offered a "definitive" answer for viewers looking to impress friends on trivia night—and his conclusion was surprisingly liberating.
According to Roggin, the reason for the orthographic chaos is simple: the word is a transliteration from the Hebrew חנוכה. Because English and Hebrew use entirely different alphabets, every English version is merely a phonetic approximation. "Spell it any way you want to spell it," Roggin encouraged his audience. "None of them are technically wrong." Whether you prefer the widely accepted Hanukkah, the traditional Chanukah, or even the less common Hannukah, the broadcaster emphasized that the spirit of the holiday matters more than the sequence of letters.
In true Roggin fashion, he peppered the linguistics lesson with a bit of personal humor. He noted that while he used to favor the "Ch" spelling for its authentic guttural sound, a past surgery to remove his uvula—the "punching bag" in the back of the throat—means he can no longer produce that specific Hebrew "Ch" sound like he used to. Ending on a note of holiday cheer, Fred toasted "L'chaim" to the Coachella Valley, urging everyone to enjoy a jelly donut, spin a dreidel, and celebrate the season of dedication, no matter how they choose to write it.
By: NBC Palm Springs
December 19, 2025
