![]() Let's up our game my people, let's keep polishing our spoken English. I believe that you've gotten the difference. If a person says that they cracked their brain, walahi, na serious blunder o, □□. The mathematics problem that I wanted to solve was too difficult, I had to really rack my brain before I was finally able to crack it. The sentence below illustrates the correct usage of the two words (crack and rack). So when you say I'm racking my brain, it means that you are giving your brain a lot of work to do, thereby stressing it. The right expression is "to rack one's brain". Whatever meaning of the word one wishes to express, it doesn't apply to the brain in any way. Something like: 'don't worry, Micheal Scofield is gonna crack the code in no time'. That's why people often use the term crack in all those American tech movies after deciphering a code. At other times, the same word crack can be used to mean that you solved a difficult problem or task. You see, when you make use of the word crack in a sentence, what it usually means is that you break something open, for example, let's say you want to break open some Walnuts, then you can go ahead and say that you are cracking walnuts. If you are among the few who say that, then you need to step up. I've come to notice over time that around me, a few people still make the mistake of saying that they crack their brain. Actually, it is a wrong expression. If you ever have questions about word choice or other confusing writing topics, come back and visit us at Writing Explained.We Nigerians and the funny way we use English words. Nerve-racking is the standard spelling.Is it nerve-racking or nerve-wracking? Nerve-racking and nerve-wracking are alternative spellings of the same adjective, referring to something stressful or anxiety-inducing. Now, there is no need to rack your brain anymore. Unless you are talking about seaweed, default to nerve-racking. This makes choosing nerve-racking incredibly easy. In all senses of the word (with the exception of seaweed), choose rack. Unless you are specifically guided to use AP Style by your employer, publisher, teacher, etc., you can remember nerve-racking vs. Rack = various types of framework (noun) to arrange on said framework, to torture, to torment (verb)Īs I started this post off, these two words are somewhat complicated, so I now want to distill all of this information into something concise and actionable for the average writer who is simply looking to clear his writing of mistakes and typos.If you are writing in AP Style, here are its general requirements, The AP Stylebook holds that the noun wrack is to be used in the sense of ruin or destruction, which most publications and dictionaries reserve for rack (or at least they prefer it)ĪP Style specifically prefers the spellings wrack and ruin, wracked with pain, and nerve-wracking. – The GuardianĪpparently, however, not everyone in the writing community agrees with the common consensus of general usage. ![]() Storms had torn wracks and kelps from the seabed and driven them against Roker pier, forcing the heap higher up the beach with each successive tide.In this sense, wrack refers to any number of coarse brown seaweeds that grow on the shoreline. The spelling wrack is preferred only in one sense: seaweed. nerve-racking across all English speaking parts of the world. Here is a chart that graphs nerve-wracking vs. In both American and British English, the preferred spelling overall is nerve-racking. – The Washington Postįor all other phrases in question, rack is the standard spelling. “Walking through national parks that have high lion populations draped in a zebra skin while a long way from the car is not the most sensible thing to do,” he deadpanned. There was one, nerve-racking moment when nuclear war seemed inevitable.The drive back home through the snowy mountains was nerve-racking.The hiring process was a nerve-racking gauntlet of background checks, follow-up appointments, and group interviews.Give this fact, nerve-racking is the standard, preferred spelling of the adjective that means exceptionally stressful or anxiety inducing. The important takeaway from these two spellings is that rack is predominant in all senses but one: seaweed, kelp (see below). Rather than go through every one of these individual senses, I will cut to the chase. This is a somewhat complicated word it corresponds with nine different nouns and seven different verbs. What does nerve-racking mean? First, let’s start with the more common spelling: rack.
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