Rack vs. Wrack — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 26, 2024
Rack means to cause intense physical or mental pain, while wrack signifies destruction or ruin, often used metaphorically.
Difference Between Rack and Wrack
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Rack is primarily used to describe causing intense suffering or strain, either physically or mentally. Whereas, wrack is often used in the context of causing destruction or ruin.
Rack can also refer to a framework or shelf for storage, organizing items in various settings. On the other hand, wrack is less commonly used in everyday language, but appears in the phrase "wrack and ruin," highlighting its association with comprehensive destruction.
Rack is also employed as a verb meaning to torture or severely distress someone. Conversely, wrack is used in the verb form in expressions like "wrack one's brain," suggesting the act of thinking very hard.
The spelling "rack" is used correctly in most contexts involving physical or mental stress. However, wrack is sometimes mistakenly used in place of "rack," especially in the incorrect phrase "wrack one’s brain."
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
To cause suffering or strain
To cause destruction or ruin
ADVERTISEMENT
Common Usage
Torture, storage equipment
Destruction, rarely used
Example Phrase
Rack one's brain
Wrack and ruin
Form
Noun, verb
Noun, verb
Usage Mistake
Less commonly misused
Often confused with "rack"
Compare with Definitions
Rack
To cause intense agony or torment.
The disease racked his body.
Wrack
Seaweed or marine vegetation cast ashore.
The beach was covered with wrack after the storm.
Rack
To stretch or strain painfully.
He was racked with guilt over the accident.
Wrack
To utterly ruin or destroy.
The hurricane left wrack and ruin in its path.
Rack
To arrange or organize something systematically.
He racked the pool balls before the game.
Wrack
To think hard or strain mentally.
She wracked her brain to solve the puzzle.
Rack
A framework or shelf for storage.
She arranged the spices on the kitchen rack.
Wrack
The act of wrecking or being wrecked.
The aftermath showed the wrack of the battlefield.
Rack
A mechanism for torture.
Medieval torturers often used a rack.
Wrack
Historical term for shipwreck or wreckage.
Divers explored the wrack of the sunken ship.
Rack
A framework, typically with rails, bars, hooks, or pegs, for holding or storing things
A spice rack
A letter rack
Wrack
Variant spelling of rack (sense 1 of the verb)
Rack
A cogged or toothed bar or rail engaging with a wheel or pinion, or using pegs to adjust the position of something
A steering rack
Wrack
Any of a number of coarse brown seaweeds which grow on the shoreline, frequently each kind forming a distinct band in relation to high- and low-water marks. Many have air bladders for buoyancy.
Rack
An instrument of torture consisting of a frame on which the victim was stretched by turning rollers to which the wrists and ankles were tied.
Wrack
Variant spelling of rack
Rack
A triangular structure for positioning the balls in pool.
Wrack
A wrecked ship; a shipwreck.
Rack
A set of antlers
Moose have the most impressive racks of all the antlered animals
Wrack
Destruction or ruin. Used chiefly in the phrase wrack and ruin.
Rack
A bed.
Wrack
Wreckage, especially of a ship cast ashore.
Rack
A horse's gait in which both hoofs on either side in turn are lifted almost simultaneously, and all four hoofs are off the ground together at certain moments.
Wrack
Chiefly British Violent destruction of a building or vehicle.
Rack
A mass of high, thick, fast-moving clouds
There was a thin moon, a rack of cloud
Wrack
Seaweed that has been cast ashore or dried.
Rack
A joint of meat, typically lamb, that includes the front ribs.
Wrack
Any of various brown algae, especially rockweed or kelp.
Rack
Cause extreme pain, anguish, or distress to
He was racked with guilt
Wrack
Variant of rack3.
Rack
Place in or on a rack
The shoes were racked neatly beneath the dresses
Wrack
To cause the ruin of; wreck.
Rack
Move by a rack and pinion.
Wrack
To be wrecked.
Rack
Raise (rent) above a fair or normal amount.
Wrack
Variant of rack1.
Rack
(of a horse) move with a rack gait.
Wrack
Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment; consequence; trouble.
Rack
Go away
‘Rack off mate, or you're going to cop it,’ he bellowed
Wrack
Ruin; destruction.
Rack
(of a cloud) be driven before the wind
A thin shred of cloud racking across the moon
Wrack
The remains; a wreck.
Rack
Draw off (wine, beer, etc.) from the sediment in the barrel
The wine is racked off into large oak casks
Wrack
(archaic) Remnant from a shipwreck as washed ashore, or the right to claim such items.
Rack
A framework or stand in or on which to hold, hang, or display various articles
A trophy rack.
A rack for baseball bats in the dugout.
A drying rack for laundry.
Wrack
Any marine vegetation cast up on shore, especially seaweed of the family Fucaceae.
Rack
(Games) A triangular frame for arranging billiard or pool balls at the start of a game.
Wrack
Weeds, vegetation or rubbish floating on a river or pond.
Rack
A receptacle for livestock feed.
Wrack
A high flying cloud; a rack.
Rack
A frame for holding bombs in an aircraft.
Wrack
To execute vengeance; avenge.
Rack
A bunk or bed.
Wrack
To worry; tease; torment.
Rack
Sleep
Tried to get some rack.
Wrack
To wreck, especially a ship.
Rack
A toothed bar that meshes with a gearwheel, pinion, or other toothed machine part.
Wrack
Alternative form of rack
Rack
A state of intense anguish.
Wrack
A thin, flying cloud; a rack.
Rack
A cause of intense anguish.
Wrack
Wreck; ruin; destruction.
Rack
An instrument of torture on which the victim's body was stretched.
Wrack
Any marine vegetation cast up on the shore, especially plants of the genera Fucus, Laminaria, and Zostera, which are most abundant on northern shores.
Rack
A pair of antlers.
Wrack
Coarse seaweed of any kind.
Rack
A fast, flashy, four-beat gait of a horse in which each foot touches the ground separately and at equal intervals.
Wrack
To rack; to torment.
Rack
A thin mass of wind-driven clouds.
Wrack
To wreck.
Rack
Variant of wrack1.
Wrack
Dried seaweed especially that cast ashore
Rack
Variant of wrack2.
Wrack
The destruction or collapse of something;
Wrack and ruin
Rack
A wholesale rib cut of lamb or veal between the shoulder and the loin.
Wrack
Growth of marine vegetation especially of the large forms such as rockweeds and kelp
Rack
A retail rib cut of lamb or veal, prepared for roasting or for rib chops.
Wrack
Smash or break forcefully;
The kid busted up the car
Rack
The neck and upper spine of mutton, pork, or veal.
Rack
To place (billiard balls, for example) in a rack.
Rack
Also wrack To cause great physical or mental suffering to
Pain racked his entire body.
Rack
To torture by means of the rack.
Rack
To go or move at a rack.
Rack
To drain (wine or cider) from the dregs.
Rack
A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other
Rack
Any of various kinds of frame for holding luggage or other objects on a vehicle or vessel.
Rack
(historical) A device, incorporating a ratchet, used to torture victims by stretching them beyond their natural limits.
Rack
(nautical) A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes.
Rack
A bunk.
Rack
Sleep.
Rack
A distaff.
Rack
A bar with teeth on its face or edge, to work with those of a gearwheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive or be driven by it.
Rack
(mechanical engineering) A bar with teeth on its face or edge, to work with a pawl as a ratchet allowing movement in one direction only, used for example in a handbrake or crossbow.
Rack
A cranequin, a mechanism including a rack, pinion and pawl, providing both mechanical advantage and a ratchet, used to bend and cock a crossbow.
Rack
A set of antlers (as on deer, moose or elk).
Rack
A cut of meat involving several adjacent ribs.
I bought a rack of lamb at the butcher's yesterday.
Rack
A hollow triangle used for aligning the balls at the start of a game.
Rack
A friction device for abseiling, consisting of a frame with five or more metal bars, around which the rope is threaded.
Rappel rack
Abseil rack
Rack
A climber's set of equipment for setting up protection and belays, consisting of runners, slings, carabiners, nuts, Friends, etc.
I used almost a full rack on the second pitch.
Rack
A grate on which bacon is laid.
Rack
(algebra) A set with a distributive binary operation whose result is unique.
Rack
A thousand pounds (£1,000), especially if proceeds of crime
Rack
Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapour in the sky.
Rack
A fast amble.
Rack
(obsolete) A wreck; destruction.
Rack
To place in or hang on a rack.
Rack
To torture (someone) on the rack.
Rack
To cause (someone) to suffer pain.
Rack
(figurative) To stretch or strain; to harass, or oppress by extortion.
Rack
To put the balls into the triangular rack and set them in place on the table.
Rack
To strike in the testicles.
Rack
(firearms) To (manually) load (a round of ammunition) from the magazine or belt into firing position in an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.
Rack
(firearms) To move the slide bar on a shotgun in order to chamber the next round.
Rack
(mining) To wash (metals, ore, etc.) on a rack.
Rack
(nautical) To bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc.
Rack
(structural engineering) To tend to shear a structure (that is, force it to bend, lean, or move in different directions at different points).
Post-and-lintel construction racks easily.
Rack
To drive; move; go forward rapidly; stir.
Rack
To fly, as vapour or broken clouds.
Rack
(brewing) To clarify, and thereby deter further fermentation of, beer, wine or cider by draining or siphoning it from the dregs.
Rack
(of a horse) To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace.
Rack
Same as Arrack.
Rack
The neck and spine of a fore quarter of veal or mutton.
Rack
A wreck; destruction.
Rack
Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapor in the sky.
The winds in the upper region, which move the clouds above, which we call the rack, . . . pass without noise.
And the night rack came rolling up.
Rack
A fast amble.
Rack
An instrument or frame used for stretching, extending, retaining, or displaying, something.
During the troubles of the fifteenth century, a rack was introduced into the Tower, and was occasionally used under the plea of political necessity.
Rack
An instrument for bending a bow.
Rack
A bar with teeth on its face, or edge, to work with those of a wheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive it or be driven by it.
Rack
That which is extorted; exaction.
A fit of the stone puts a king to the rack, and makes him as miserable as it does the meanest subject.
Rack
To fly, as vapor or broken clouds.
Rack
To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace; - said of a horse.
Rack
To draw off from the lees or sediment, as wine.
It is in common practice to draw wine or beer from the lees (which we call racking), whereby it will clarify much the sooner.
Rack
To extend by the application of force; to stretch or strain; specifically, to stretch on the rack or wheel; to torture by an engine which strains the limbs and pulls the joints.
He was racked and miserably tormented.
Rack
To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish.
Vaunting aloud but racked with deep despair.
Rack
To stretch or strain, in a figurative sense; hence, to harass, or oppress by extortion.
The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants.
They [landlords] rack their rents an ace too high.
Grant that I may never rack a Scripture simile beyond the true intent thereof.
Try what my credit can in Venice do;That shall be racked even to the uttermost.
Rack
To wash on a rack, as metals or ore.
Rack
To bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc.
Rack
Framework for holding objects
Rack
Rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton
Rack
The destruction or collapse of something;
Wrack and ruin
Rack
An instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims
Rack
A support for displaying various articles;
The newspapers were arranged on a rack
Rack
A rapid gait of a horse in which each foot strikes the ground separately
Rack
Go at a rack;
The horses single-footed
Rack
Stretch to the limits;
Rack one's brains
Rack
Put on a rack and pinion;
Rack a camera
Rack
Obtain by coercion or intimidation;
They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss
They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him
Rack
Run before a gale
Rack
Fly in high wind
Rack
Draw off from the lees;
Rack wine
Rack
Torment emotionally or mentally
Rack
Work on a rack;
Rack leather
Rack
Seize together, as of parallel ropes of a tackle in order to prevent running through the block
Rack
Torture on the rack
Common Curiosities
Where does the phrase "wrack and ruin" come from?
The phrase "wrack and ruin" dates back to historical English usage, referring to complete devastation or destruction.
What does "rack up" mean?
"Rack up" means to accumulate or gather, typically used in the context of gaining points, debts, or achievements (e.g., He racked up a lot of points during the game.)
How is "rack" used in the context of technology?
In technology, a "rack" refers to a frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules, such as servers.
How should one choose between "rack" and "wrack" when writing?
Choose "rack" for references to physical or mental distress and storage devices, and "wrack" for contexts involving destruction or ruin.
Is "wrack" ever used correctly in place of "rack"?
Generally, "wrack" is not correctly used in place of "rack," though it is a common error in phrases like "wrack one’s brain."
What is the etymology of "wrack"?
The word "wrack" derives from Middle English "wrak," related to the Dutch "wrak" and German "wrack," meaning shipwreck or floating debris.
Can "rack" refer to any type of storage?
Yes, "rack" can refer to any framework designed to hold, store, or display items, such as clothes, shoes, dishes, or books.
What are common misuses of "rack" and "wrack"?
A common misuse is "wrack one’s brain," which should be "rack one’s brain." "Rack" is sometimes mistakenly used when referring to destruction, where "wrack" would be appropriate.
What visual imagery might be associated with "rack" and "wrack"?
"Rack" often conjures images of torture devices or shelves, whereas "wrack" evokes images of destruction and decay.
Is "wrack" still commonly used today?
"Wrack" is less commonly used today and is mostly found in fixed phrases like "wrack and ruin."
What is the etymology of "rack"?
The word "rack" comes from Middle Dutch "rec," meaning a framework or shelf.
What other phrases use "rack"?
Phrases such as "off the rack" (ready-made clothes) and "on the rack" (being in a state of stress or being tortured).
Are there any literary uses of "wrack" worth noting?
"Wrack" appears in literary contexts, especially in older texts, often relating to sea wreckage or catastrophic events.
How does the usage of "rack" and "wrack" differ in professional writing?
In professional writing, "rack" is widely used in its correct forms, while "wrack" is used more conservatively and typically in more poetic or historical contexts.
Can "wrack" be used as a verb?
Yes, "wrack" can be used as a verb, usually in the context of causing destruction or damage.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Bough vs. Bow
Next Comparison
Compose vs. CompriseAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
