Is the saying nerve wracking or nerve-racking?

Is the saying nerve wracking or nerve-racking?

“Nerve-racking” is the original and correct spelling of this phrase, which describes something that makes you extremely nervous. “Nerve-wracking” is a widely-used and well-established variant spelling. Many editors and usage dictionaries find it acceptable, but purists and prescriptivists consider it an error.

Which is the meaning of the word nerve-racking?

Definition of nerve-racking : extremely trying on the nerves a nerve-racking ordeal The job interview was a nerve-racking experience.

Why do people say nerve wracking?

Some people prefer “nerve-wracking” because they associate it with wrecking – the wording “nervous wreck” is recorded as early as 1871. It was always likely that rack and wrack should overlap. Wr- at the start of a word has been hard to pronounce from the time when w began to sound in Old English as it does today.

What are synonyms for nerve wracking?

synonyms for nerve-racking

• annoying.
• stressful.
• trying.
• aggravating.
• disquieting.
• disturbing.
• exasperating.
• irksome.

How do you use nerve racking in a sentence?

Nerve-racking sentence example Cynthia didn’t answer and the silence became nerve racking . Preparing for the birth of a baby is an exciting, albeit nerve-racking, time. Working under the glare of the camera was both nerve-racking and fun.

How do you spell racking as in racking my brain?

The written form “wrack one’s brains” is, therefore, incorrect. In my view, “to go from rack to ruin” is also incorrect, but the Free Dictionary offers entries from both the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs and the Cambridge Idioms Dictionary which seem to find either spelling acceptable.

Is it racking my brain?

Meaning: To think very hard to find an answer. If you rack your brains, you strain mentally to recall or to understand something. The rack was a mediaeval torture device where the victim was tied to the rack by his arms and legs, which were then practically torn from their bodies.

How do you use nerve racking?

How do you use nerve wracking in a sentence?

Nerve-wracking sentence example

1. It was nerve wracking not to know what was happening.
2. It was fun, but a little nerve wracking .
3. You can get up close in a flat-bottomed skiff – but prepare yourself for a pretty nerve-wracking experience.