‘Wreak havoc’ or ‘wreck havoc’? | OxfordWords blog
blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2016/01/wreak-havoc-wreck-havoc
"Do you know which one is correct?
English speakers often confuse ‘wreak havoc’ with ‘wreck havoc’. The confusion is more than understandable: both words are nearly homophones (they sound alike) and also are spelled with only a letter of difference. Part of the problem is the relative rarity of the verb wreak, as compared with the more common verb wreck.
The word wreak means ‘to cause or inflict’ and is usually paired with nouns meaning either ‘a large amount of damage or harm’ (as in wreak havoc or wreak devastation) or ‘vengeance’ (as in wreak revenge). Although it would sound somewhat archaic today, the word wreak can also be used alone, without an object, to mean ‘avenge’.
On the other hand, the verb form of the word wreck, means to ‘destroy or severely damage (a structure or vehicle)’ or ‘spoil completely’. (Wreck, of course, also has a noun form.) Because wreck does not have the sense of ‘cause’ or ‘inflict’ like wreak does, the phrase ‘wrecking havoc’ is illogical."
