Nerve-racking/wracking

Unlike the expression, rack one’s brain, where wrack would be incorrect, when it comes to nerves, both ‘rack’ and ‘wrack’ are correct. Nerve-racking means nerve straining or stretching (as if on a rack) while nerve-wracking means nerve wrecking or destroying. Both forms are legitimate with their slightly different meanings and have been around since the early 1800s.