Why are there two transliterations of blessed - baruch and barukh?

Answer 1

There are more than two ways to write baruch. There is no English letter or combination of letters that makes the sound of כ (khaf), so there are several ways to transliterate this sound: ch, kh, h, ħ, ĥ, ḥ j or x.

So the word ברוך can be written:

1. baruch
2. barukh
3. baruh
4. baruħ
5. baruĥ
6. baruḥ
7. barux
8. baruj (Spanish)

Note that the final consonant of "baruch" is a rasping sound which is absent in several languages; hence the ambiguity in its transliteration. Interestingly, in Early French and Spanish, this sound existed - that's the Spanish X - but has since softened completely. And in Russian, Polish, Dutch and German, this sound still exists.