“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.

Likewise, what does racking your brain mean? 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.

Subsequently, question is, what is the difference between rack and wrack?

The verb wrack means to wreck or cause the ruin of something. As a noun, rack means a frame, a shelf, an instrument of torture, or a state of intense anguish. The noun wrack means destruction or wreckage. Idiomatically, we may rack the billiard balls, rack up points, and roast a rack of lamb.

What does racking yourself mean?

to strain in mental effort: to rack ones brains. to strain by physical force or violence. to strain beyond what is normal or usual. to stretch the body of (a person) in torture by means of a rack.