Can you spell `Hanukkah'? Sure, any way you want.

Byline: Young Chang

Having pondered the question "What's up with all the different English spellings of Hanukkah?" we have one thing to say: Thank goodness Scrabble prohibits proper nouns. The Jewish holiday, an eight-day celebration which ends Saturday, is commonly spelled "Hanukkah," "Chanukah" and "Hanukah." Less familiar spellings include "Khanukah" and "Ckanukka."

You'd think there'd be a reason _ historical references, regional differences, something, anything _ to explain why one of the most oft-used words this time of year has more incarnations than there are candles (nine) on the menorah.

But the variations don't come from the Hebrew word _ it's been the same for hundreds of years. It means "dedication," referring to the rededication of the Jerusalem temple in 164 B.C.

Hebrew scholars and even the most persnickety of English-language pundits concur: Spelling the word in English depends entirely on phonetic preference.

The "miracle of Hanukkah" refers to the story of the lamp flame that lasted eight days after the Maccabees, a Hebrew tribe, reclaimed their desecrated temple from the Syrians. The …