Grammar and Punctuation The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

Rack, Wrack

As a verb, rack means "to afflict," "oppress," "torment."

To wrack is to cause the ruin of.

A lot of people mistakenly write things like "nerve-wracking" and "I wracked my brains." Drop the w in both cases. Both expressions derive from that device in the torture hall of fame called the rack.


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