Revised as of
26 Sept 2022
Josie rapped hard on the table to get our attention that Christmas morning. Seems she’d been too rapt in all the wrapped presents under the tree to even notice the rest of us were eating our strawberry French toast and bacon.
Talk about the perfect trio of heterographs. They sound the same, but they sure ain’t spelled the same!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Rapped | Rapt | Wrapped |
|---|---|---|
Knocking the Shining is via GIPHY, <https://giphy.com/gifs/home-anybody-k3ysanIoI6Yx2>. — If Jack Nicholson rapped on my door, I’d be going out the window. |
Rapt on Koi is by WalterPro and is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. — An eager school of koi are as rapt as the girl crouching by the side of the pool. |
Beautiful Saris by Juho Makkonen is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Saris are wrapped around one’s body. |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Past tense or past participle for rap
Verb, intransitive 1 & transitive 1 and 2 Third person present verb: raps Informal variant spelling in Australia of wrap |
Adjective | Past tense or past participle for wrap
Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: wraps Third person present verb: wraps |
| Verb, intransitive: Strike a hard surface with a series of rapid audible blows, especially in order to attract attention 1 [Informal; chiefly North American] Talk or chat in an easy, open, and familiar manner To talk rhythmically to the beat of rap music Verb, transitive:
[Of a spirit summoned by a medium; often followed by out] To communicate a message by raps [Slang] To criticize sharply [Slang] To arrest, detain, or sentence for a crime [Metallurgy] To jar a pattern loose from a sand mold [Archaic] To carry off
[Archaic] To transport with rapture 2 [Archaic] To seize for oneself
|
Completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing
[Archaic] Having been carried away bodily or transported to heaven |
Verb, intransitive: [Computing; of a word, unit, or text] Be carried over to the next line or fit around a picture [Informal; movies; television] Finish filming or recording [Usually followed by up] To enclose in something wound or folded about Verb, transitive:
[Computer] Cause a word or unit of text to be carried over to a new line automatically as the margin is reached, or to fit around embedded features such as pictures To cover fingernails with a sheer silk or linen fabric, as to repair or strengthen them To surround, envelop, shroud, or hide To fold or roll up [Often followed by up] To enclose in something wound or folded about [Often followed by up] To enclose and make fast (an article, bundle, etc.) within a covering of paper or the like To wind, fold, or bind (something) about as a covering |
| Examples: | ||
| Verb, intransitive: She rapped angrily on the window. We could be here all night rapping about the finer points of spiritualism. I’ve never rapped before an audience. Once again the presiding judge rapped briefly with his gavel. Chris Brown rapped for three hours last night! Verb, transitive: She rapped her stick on the floor. She rapped my fingers with a ruler. Executives rapped the US for having too little competition in international phone service. The ambassador rapped out an order. Madame Zlagny’s spirit guide rapped out responses to all our questions. Critics rapped George’s play. I got rapped for that B&E. He rapped a little too hard on the mold and broke it. |
Andrew looked at her, rapt.
They listened with rapt attention. She shut her eyes and seemed rapt with desire. He was rapt on high. |
Verb, intransitive: Penelope prefers her shrimp wrap wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Melanie set the style so the text wrapped around the graphics. Who’s been buggering with the computer settings!? My email text always wrapped before! We wrapped on schedule three days later. They had hoped negotiations would be wrapped up in sixty days. Verb, transitive: Leonora wrapped herself in a large white bath towel. David wrapped the bandage around the injured limb. He wrapped an arm around her waist. She wrapped him in her arms. Richard wrapped his car around a telephone pole. Gina had the computer set so the text automatically wrapped to the next line. She wrapped her head in a scarf. He wrapped the package up in brown paper. The package was wrapped up like a Christmas tree. Australia wrapped up the series 4–0. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Noun: rap, rapper, rapping | Adjective: rapturous Adverb: raptly, rapturously Noun: raptness, rapture, rapturousness |
Noun: prewrap, underwrap, wrap, wrap-up, wrapper, wrapping Verb: rewrap, rewrapped, rewrapping Verb, intransitive: interwrap, interwrapped, interwrapping Verb, transitive: prewrap, prewrapped, prewrapping. |
| Phrasal Verb | ||
| wrapped up wrapped someone up wrapped something up |
||
| History of the Word: | ||
|
Late Middle English in the sense of transported by religious feeling and is from the Latin raptus meaning seized, past participle of rapere. | Middle English and of unknown origin. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Rapped vs Rapt vs Wrapped
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: rap
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Eight Windows Wrapped in Plastic is W.carter’s own work under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. VisualHunt has provided Reflection, <https://visualhunt.com/photo/234223/>, by hernanpba, <https://visualhunt.com/author/810f64>, and Knock, Knock, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/16226335049/3bd7b1d093/>, by fredwlangjr, <https://visualhunt.com/author/48383d>. Both are under the CC BY 2.0 license.
