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Was Wracking My Brain?

Marcus Vance • • 6 min read
Was Wracking My Brain?

wrack (one's) brain(s)
To struggle very hard to recall or think of something. ("Rack" is considered the more correct spelling, though "wrack" has become acceptable through common usage.) I've been wracking my brain, but I still can't remember what Lydia's husband's name is.

Is it wracking your brain or racking your brain?

The spelling 'rack' is now used in all senses except for the seaweed called wrack. So it's "rack and ruin," … "racking my brains," and so on. Some other usage guides provide a way of dealing with this question that has a certain brutal charm: just stop using the word wrack.

What does wreck your brain mean?

To rack one's brain is to torture it or to stretch it by thinking very hard. To wrack one's brain would be to wreck it. This might sort of make sense in some figurative uses, but rack is the standard spelling where the phrase means to think very hard.

Marcus Vance
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Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.