Rap is a sharp knock, the music genre, or informally, blame for a crime; wrap means to cover something by folding material around it, or a sandwich rolled in flatbread. If someone knocks on a door, they rap on it; if you're covering a gift, you wrap it.
The core difference
Rap is a knock or the music style; wrap is about covering or enclosing something.
- rap — a sharp knock, or the music genre: a sharp rap on the window startled the cat.
- wrap — to cover something by folding material around it: he wrapped the parcel neatly before posting it.
How to tell them apart
The two words are pronounced the same, which is why "wrap" so often gets typed as "rap" in phrases like wrap up warm or a wrap party. Remember that wrap starts with a silent w, just like wrapping paper wraps around something. Rap, with no w, is a short, sharp sound, whether it's a knock at the door or a style of music built on rhythm.
One mix-up worth knowing: to "take the rap" means to take the blame, and has nothing to do with wrapping anything up.
